Enough
by Urizen
Summary: (Completed) Spike has been hurt enough by Buffy, so he decides to make something about it. Concerning a certain chip in his head.
1. Hurt

ENOUGH

A/N.- This is the first chapter of this series. It's kinda long but please bear with me. I hope you like this.

Disclaimer.- You all should know the characters belong to Joss Whedon and all the parties involved in airing the show.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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Hurt.

He was looking at the mess that was his home until a few hours ago. everything was burnt or charred to various degrees. But he wasn't concerned about the blackened bed, or the destroyed furniture. Not even his collection of poetry that he had been writing for the last two years. He found the small metal box and he sighed in contempt when he saw that it was only slightly melt on one corner. He took out the key he had in one pocket of his pants and opened the box. Spike smiled when he saw that the contents were only smoked a little bit and that his most priced possession was still existent. He smiled a bit and placed the content back in the box and hid it once again. All of a sudden he felt the same tingle that he always felt when Buffy was near. He didn't acknowledge her presence but what came next was as painful as a drink of holy water would've been. she was breaking up with him. He turned around to stare into her eyes. She was telling something along the lines of "I'm using you" and "I can't love you", which pierced his dead heart. He believed that it was the usual bickering after they'd been in bed, but when she said her last words, he finally got the point.

"I'm sorry, William."

William.

His name. His real name. She was serious. She turned her back on him and walked away, out of his life and into the light. He was shocked for a while and he stood still. Nothing came to his mind at the moment, only the pain of what she had said still clear on his mind. She was using him. She didn't love him. He was somewhat certain of the last part, but he hoped that she didn't sleep with every man she didn't care about. But the part that she was using him, that made him feel even more dead than ever before. It was all he was to her. A scratch for her itch. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am. He had tried to be her friend and her lover. And it turned that he was only a piece of meat to her. Some more thoughts ran through his mind but he was only certain of one thing: He loved her and he'd make sure that she'd come back to him. He had to earn her love, and he'd try every thing he could think of.

She was too precious to him to let go. He had tasted her passion and he wanted more of her. Not only her fury but her tenderness and love as well. He was sure that he could get that.

Some time went by and he came out of his crypt as soon as night crept by. He went over and bought a single red rose. He'd try to be a gentelman and fix this weird relationship and start all over.

He was thinking of an impressive speech or maybe a small poem or something that could get through her armor and reach her heart. He knew that she felt something for him, but it was so hidden inside of her that she didn't allow it to break to the surface.

He stopped in front of Buffy's house and he had already prepared a fantastic speech. It would involve all the things he had felt and he'd skip all his tough exterior so that Buffy would see him other than a monster.

He'd earn her love. Spike saw some lights on and remembered that tomorrow was the day when the whelp would marry Anya. They'd probably still be bickering and talking about the big day. He didn't want to talk to any of the scoobies, since he was sure that Buffy and Captain Cardboard would have already informed them of the egg incident. He sighed and went to the tree in order to climb up to Buffy's room. He was perched atop the roof and as he approached the window he smelt something odd. He stood in front of the window and saw inside something atop a box near the window. He frowned, and saw garlic and crosses piled very close to the window. As if Buffy was trying to prevent a vampire from coming in. They weren't exactly tied to the window frame but the purpose was obvious. Of course, she was the slayer and every protection would help her live another day. But she had never placed garlic before. He had been able to get in her room so many other times. Why were this things in her room now?

He didn't want to think about the response, not after what she had said to him earlier. His mind once again raced by the minute and he jumped off the roof. As he landed he approached the window and peered inside. He saw the girls who lived in the Summer's household. Willow, Dawn and Buffy, and next to them in the living room were Anya and Tara. He smiled a bit, thinking about them as part of his life, a part of his family. Then something caught his attention, the same smile that had captured him for the last two years. Buffy was smiling, laughing actually. Her smile warmed him a little, but the warmth esscaped quickly as he thought about it. She had dumped him and it seemed that it hadn't fazed her in the least.  He began listening to them, thanks to his acute vampire hearing. The topic, clearly, the wedding.  He again smiled when he saw that they were happy. After all, it was what he always wanted Buffy to be.

"...and I want everything to be perfect, and I want the cake to be delicious, and I want everybody to have lots of fun, and..." Anya kept going about her perfect wedding day. The girls all laughed and joked about the way Anya was clearly obssesed.

"So, Dawnie," Tara asked, "any date for tomorrow?"

Dawn fidgeted a little. "Nah, how could I explain to a normal kid that the bride's friends all are a bit weird?"

Tara soon caught that the question had been a little far fetched.

"Yeah," she said, a bit shily, "I guess not everybody would get it." She looked at Buffy, and made the same question. "What about you, Buffy, a date for tomorrow?"

Buffy looked up seriously, and Spike's ears perked up even more for her response. 

"Nope, no date," Buffy said, "single girl here, no one in my life to ask to come with me."

The girls all agreed, but since Tara knew about Buffy and Spike's relationship, she seemed a little disappointed. But there was no point in asking and she respected Buffy's choices.

Spike outside felt a little more cold than before. All his hopes were slowly reducing. He looked at the rose in his hand and it seemed so insignificant. He was staring so intently at the flower that he forgot the slight detail that Buffy could feel when a vampire was near.

"What are you doing here, Spike?" she asked, startling the bleached vampire, who jumped and hid the rose behind him.

He looked at her and then forgot everything that he had planned on telling her.

"Uh, hi Buffy, I..." he stuttered.

"Don't come here anymore, Spike, I thought I made myself clear before." She folded her arms and her voice took a harder edge. Spike felt uncomfortable and decided to go all the way. He took out the flower and tried to give it to Buffy.

She looked at the flower in Spike's hand and noticed that it was for her. She sighed but she didn't made an attempt to take it. Spike felt even more insecure and as if a  hole was beneath his feet.

"No, Spike," Buffy said, "don't bring me flowers, don't buy  me chocolate, it's over, I told you,"

He smiled a bit and tried to speak, but Buffy made a move to silence him.

"I said no, Spike, and please, get out of my lawn." 

She began walking back to the house, and Spike panicked, he made a swift move to try to grab her arm. Unfortunately, Buffy's instincts misunderstood the action and reacted defensively. She grabbed his arm, twisted it painfully and punched him as hard as she could. Spike flew backwards and the rose fell from his grasp. As he was trying to get up all he could think was that he didn't want the rose to get broken. Buffy backhanded him once again. 

"Don't touch me again, Spike," she whispered as she approached him, "not ever again, and how dared you to try it in front of my house!"

Spike crawled next to his 'stakeout' tree and tried to get up. Now he was very confused. What should he do now? Fight back in front of everybody and reveal to them that he could hurt Buffy without getting zapped by the chip, or withstand another beating from her? As he turned around, Buffy slammed him into the tree.

"Get this clear, vampire," she hissed, "I will never love you. I don't want you near me, I said I was sorry, but if you keep this up I'll make YOU sorry." She threw him to the ground and walked back to the house. He growled out of instinct, and decided very poorly about what to do.

"Afraid of what they might think, huh slayer?" He said.

Buffy stopped and answered without turning around.

"I don't need them to think anything, Spike, I chose myself that this was a lousy choice."

"Oh, and it had nothing to do with Cap Cardboard coming over?" He said.

To that she turned around and once again walked to him.

"Can't you deal with this, Spike?" She said, "I said I was sorry, I said I used you, and now it's over, get over it!"

"I can't, I love you." He answered, honestly.

"Well, I don't." She stated, "Now get it through your thick skull and get the hell out of here."

She then walked away from him and slammed the door behind him.

He didn't know what to do. The skies began rumbling and a single drop fell on his boot. He looked over and saw what was left of his relationship with the slayer. A small flower, broken on the yard.

End of chapter.


	2. Grieve

A/N.- Chapter Two of the ENOUGH storyline. There are some spoilers up to episode "As You Were" in Season Six.

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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Grieve.

He ran off the street. He wanted to release the anger and the anxiety that were building inside of him. He decided to go to the farthest cemetary in the city in order to warm up for the fight. He wanted to blow off all the steam and hurt something or somebody. 

_"I'm using you."_

He didn't care about that. He had been used by everybody at some point in his life. He had been worthless as a human but he had meen sired to take care of Drusilla. Angelus used him as his errand boy. Darla used him as the humorous relief. Drusilla used him in her own way for her to be comfortable. The only times when he hadn't been used was when he fought. When he lost himself in the fight and was on equal basis with his opponent.

_"I can't love you."_

That one hurt. He had barely stepped in the graveyard when two vampires leapt at him. Dumb ones, because he had no heartbeat and thus he was not a possible meal. He let out the fury against these two stupid vamps. He didn't even bother with taking out the stake. He was only feeling rage and pain. Those four words were ringing inside his head. Why couldn't she love him? What was so wrong about him? He was a monster but she had loved a monster before. Sure, he had his temper and his personality but it seemed that she was getting along with him. The soul issue, but it wasn't because he didn't have one. It was because she felt that he wasn't capable of loving without one. 'Bloody Angelus couldn't.' He thought as he ripped off one of the vampires arms. 'I do love her.' He began pounding at the other vampire with the arm-now-made-weapon. 

_"You're beneath me."_

Now where did that came from? He thought that was water beneath the bridge. But she had been saying so many hurtful things to him ever since she had met her. Of course, he had threatened to kill her a thousand times before but he never said things to hurt her. Ok, maybe that time with the Ring of Amarra but come on, she had dumped a piano on him! Why was she so cruel to him? Was he so disgusting to her? He kicked the vampire at his feet and then he broke the other vampire's leg. He was really pouring everything to them. They had tried to run and that was why he broke the leg of one and bit off the achillles tendon of the other. He reveled in the violence. It helped him think better. The screams of pain of the two unfortunate vampires helped him focus. 

_"You're just convenient."_

He stopped at that statement. He dropped the arm he was using as a club and pondered about the importance of that phrase. They weren't exactly friends, then why was she allowing him near her? Why did she confide in him? He had sung about it but then it was clearer than ever. Telling her secrets to a dead man was the same to her as saying them to a stuffed animal. So every hope he had that she was warming up to him was worth shit. She had told him because he wouldn't tell anybody. Not like he had any friends. Not even the scoobies. He helped them for the whole summer, but then Buffy came back and it's time to hate Spike again. He growled once again and reached down to kill his prey. He ripped off the head of one vampire and bit off the other one's. 

_"I never loved you and I never will."_

He kneeled as the dust from his kill settled around him. So that was it. She had never even cared about him. The scoobies had once referred to him as a puppy who followed the slayer. So that was what he was to her. A watch dog to take care of her sister but not trustful enough to allow him near her. 'A soddin' dog.' He thought. 'Trained to take care of the nibblet and taunted by the promise of her love.'

A sense of bitterness washed over him. A dog. Not even a man. he had been wrong. She never treated him as a man. And then it hit him, as a tidal wave or as a thunder. Pain and numbness reached and melt inside of him.

It was true.

She never loved him and she never would.

But to him, he had just realized it.

A lone tear was all he could manage.

End of chapter.


	3. Decision

A/N.- Chapter Three in the ENOUGH series.

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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Decision.

Some tears were still running through his cheeks as he reached his grave. He had been wandering aimessly for the past few hours, and only his sharp survival instinct prevented him from taking a trip in the sunlight. His mind had been fractured, resembling the state in which the slayer had been when her sister had been kidnapped by the hellgod. As he entered his crypt the smell of smoke and burnt wood still pierced his nose. That seemed to snap him a little bit out of his stupor. He reached over for his last bottle of tequila and opened it, drinking a huge amount of it.  He was operating on a basic level, no coherent thoughts running in his mind. There were only random memories, but they were all painful memories. All repetitive in a vicious cycle. Every painful moment in his life was repeated over and over again. Every physical pain and every emotional pain were relived in 3-d and stereo surround. 

His parents dying.

Cecily telling him he was beneath her.

Drusilla killing him.

Angelus torturing him all over the years.

Drusilla being hurt in Prague.

The first time he met the blonde slayer.

The piano landing on top of him.

Drusilla leaving him.

The chip in his head.

Every time the scobbies mocked him.

Buffy telling him he was beneath her.

Him telling the slayer he loved her.

Being shut out of Buffy's house.

Joyce dying.

Glory torturing him.

Buffy dying.

Buffy coming back.

Her telling him she was torn from heaven.

Buffy kissing him.

Buffy beating the crap out of him.

Buffy telling him she could never love him.

He stood like that, feeling the pain every time the particular memory came back. When his parents died he couldn't cry because he was the eldest son. He had to remain strong. When Cecily despised him he ran off. Drusilla killing him was final, he blacked out. Angelus tortures had to be met in silence. No screaming. Drusilla's pain had to be soothed and he couldn't crack. No thrill in meeting the slayer, she was a victim. The chip made him a prey instead of a hunter, he had to hide. He had to endure the mocking glares the scoobies gave him. Buffy reopened the old wound of being beneath someone, so he cried. When he told the slayer he loved her she banished him from her life.  The only woman who cared for him died. The physical pain of Glory's torture, nothing Angelus did was near to this. Buffy died and another woman he loved dissappeared. He felt despair when she was denied her peace, the final reward, by being torn from heaven. And then he felt his personal heaven when she kissed him and they shagged. But all that joy crumbled when she cut him off again.

And the circle renewed one more time.

He endured all of the pain and sad memories, but the thing that was tearing him apart was the point when he was with Buffy, in his most joyous moment, and then she'd move on and kick him down. 

His hands ran through his hair and he contemplated the possibility of suicide. There had to be a place better than this, even hell. But then again, this was his hell. He was damned and he began paying even here in life. Maybe it was all a twisted game and he had been killed as soon as he was sired and this was his hell. Cursed to love and never be loved back. To be hurt over and over again.

There had to be a way out of this. He had have a few years of contempt. When Angelus and Darla parted ways and there were only Drusilla and him. A little time when he did what he wanted when he wanted and with whom he wanted. He had been able to be free from Angelus influence. He had have Drusilla all for himself. He had been respected and he had been powerful. Most of all, he had no care in the world. 

He wanted that back. He wanted his small amount of peace. It hadn't been the killing, or the violence. He had been contempt. He was happy.

Now he was everything but happy.

He tried to recall something good that had happened in his life. But there was nothing. Nothing beautiful that would last. There was always something else that would tarnish his happy memory.

There was one thing that kept him from returning to what he was. He thought it was his love for Buffy but that seemed to be worthless. He was worthless at the point. He had to remedy that. 

In his present state there was only one thing that made sense. Only one thing could help him be the vampire he once was. And he had an idea of how to accomplish his goal.

The chip had to go out.

End of chapter.


	4. The Chip

A/N.- Chapter Four of the ENOUGH series. I'm writing this without any feedback, so feel free to criticize.

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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The Chip.

Two days had gone by after Buffy, no, the slayer had turned him down. He had spent most of his time reclused in a public library, researching all he could about brain surgery. He accesed the internet and he learnt how to use it in ten minutes. It was all a matter of reading and he loved to read. His mind was still operating on basic impulses. He focused on the task at hand and forgot about everything else. The proof to it was that he hadn't eaten anything in the past 50 hours. He only had drank about three bottles of tequila and had been chain smoking until the library staff threatened to kick him out. Only because that interferred with his purpose had he stopped smoking. There had been no information which could be useful in the removal of his problem. He learnt the basics of the brain. The names of everything up there. What the neurons were for. Electrical messages and electrical impulses were what interested him. The train of thought is nothing but electric impulses chasing one after the other, through the link that the neurons make. The idea and intent of hurting humans was an electrical impulse, which was detected and classified by the chip, which in turn zapped amounts of electricity at the region of the brain which managed the pain impulses. He also found out that the pain of hurting physically was nothing but a reflex, and since the reflexes are impulses sent and stored in the spinal chord and then bounced back, he thought that maybe severing his spine could help him but then again it was a stupid idea because he'd be crippled again. A lousy idea. He needed to research more. What concerned him the most was that even if he managed to remove the chip, maybe the thing would take off with it a piece of his brain, and he'd end up crippled again, or he'd forget how to read or he'd drool for the rest of eternity. He also read about the fact that his personality might change after being essentially lobotomized. And then he came upon something very interesting. The way to map the brain. CAT scans, PET scans, and something called MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Those things applied to study the brain and were essential to mapping the brain and pinpointing damage to it or illness. But there was a slight thing within MRI that appealed to him. A lot. He read about it and became even more fascinated with it. There was a way out of this nightmare. He'd be free of the damn chip!

He smiled, he truly smiled for the first time in a lot of time. He knew that God didn't listen to him, but now there was hope. 

The hope to be what he was before. To be free again. Of being able of making his own choices without being imparied by a piece of metal and silicone. There were risks as well. The danger of being a vegetable for eternity or losing his memory or being a cripple again. 

And yet, he didn't care. Not anymore. He had no soul so he had no regrets. He had no one to answer to, and certainly no one would care if something happened to him.

He took off the library and headed toward's Wily's bar. He stole what he needed. He was in no mood to pay and Wily seemed to notice the dark cloud which hovered above the vampire. Spike ate two bags of blood and drank some whiskey. Courage in a bottle, because he was in for a world of pain and an uncertain future. He only hoped that after his adventure, he'd be able to remember his car.

In fact, there was only two things he wanted to remember for the rest of his eternity. He ran back to his crypt and headed downstairs. He found his metal box and opened it again. The content of it made him smile, and he thought about something else apart from his chip. Inside the box there was a paper. His greatest and most priced possesion. A single photograph. He placed it in the pocket of his duster which was nearest to his heart. 

He took a long, last glance at his home, and took off.

Some time later, he arrived at the hospital. It was late and it was a very quiet night. He easily dodged security and headed to the part where neurosurgery took place. He looked aroud but nothing seemed similar to the photo he had printed. He was looking for a MRI chamber. 

After some minutes of searching, he found what he was looking for. He took a moment to admire the equipment which would free him of his curse. He had hoped for a doctor to remove the chip. He had expected some magic to fry it. But it never had occurred to him that to fight technology you needed technology. He approached the machine and read the instructions. He smiled when he read the warning sign. "YOU MUST REMOVE ANY METALLIC OBJECT FROM YOUR BODY. RISK OF BODY HARM." He took off his chain and his rings. He placed them in his duster and hid the thing in a ventilation shaft. If he didn't wake up he wished for it to remain hidden. He sighed and proceded to enter the instructions in the computer. He knew he only had a few minutes from when he turned on the machine to when hospital security would find him. He made the arrangements and entered the chamber. A soft hum filled the air and a red light shone above his head. He smiled again. He was a few moments short of getting rid of the chip. The hum grew louder and he felt as if something heavy was set upon his body. All of a sudden, the chip began working, being fried by the magnetic resonance. The pain shot through Spike's body and he lost himself in it. The pain reached it's peak and Spike spasmed up and lost consciousness as a small object flew outside the back of his head. The humming stopped and he fell as the corpse he was. His face was distorted into a grimace of pain. There was blood in the back of his head, and it was pooling slowly next to his ear. 

And a few centimeters apart from his right hand, there was a small blood covered, smoking metal piece, zapping small amounts of electricity.

The chip had been removed.

End of Chapter.


	5. Recovery

A/N.- This is chapter Five of the ENOUGH series.

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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Recovery.

"What is going on here?!"

"Don't know, Dr., we found him inside the MRI chamber!" The nurse said, "He is not breathing!"

The doctor was a young man, in his early thirties or late twenties. He had not been in Sunnydale for a long time and every day stranger things occured in the hospital.

He placed the stethoscope on top of the man's heart and listened.

"I can't hear a heartbeat, and he's cold, let's intubate!"

Two more nurses appeared with a chart and helped the doctor and the first nurse. The dead man was moved to an OR and two doctors and three nurses tried to revive him. They also found out the strange metal piece that was near the body. After half an hour they gave up, having found the hole in the back of the patient's head and his unnatural cold body. 

"All right, I'll call it," the doctor said, "time of death, 4:32 am."

Everybody inside the room took their scrubs off and threw them off. They exited the OR and left the dead body inside. They had found no ID and the newest John Doe's most promintent trait was his peroxide blond hair.

None of them realized that the hole in the man's head was already healing. 

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Buffy had been having some really lousy days. The wedding had been a whole mess. Then came the issue with the confused identity, she had tried to kill her friends and her sister was wary of her. Then Anya reappeared and she had been even weirder than before. 

Top off it all, she hadn't seen nor heard anything from Spike. Not that she was concerned about him, but she was worried about letting him out of her sight. The last time, even under her nose, he had managed to sell the space in his crypt to a demon to nest. 

However, she wasn't ready to see him again. Maybe he had taken the hint and now he was on his way of recovery. She at least hoped so.

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As he drifted back into consciousness, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He opened his eyes and didn't instantly recognized where he was. He was certainly confused. He was slowly getting used to what was going on. He looked around and saw that he was naked. Why was he naked? Where was he? What was going on? He slowly sat up and tried to focus. He felt woozy and his reflexes were not on top shape. What had happened? He then noticed more bodies around him. And as he exhaled he saw his breath. He was in a cooler? With bodies? A morgue. Why was he on a morgue? He was dead?

'Of course you're dead, you git.'

What was that? I'm dead? He looked at his hands and some things came back. 

_"You're beneath me."_

'Woah!' he thought, as an image of a pretty blonde girl appeared in his mind, throwing money at him. 'What was that?' He stumbled to the nearest mirror next to a sink. The place was dark but he didn't seem to mind. He opened the water lid and splashed some drops in his face. As he looked up, he found nothing in the mirror. No reflexion. He jumped backwards and another voice ran through his head.

'Vampires have no reflection.'

What? Vampires?

_"You're a soulless, evil thing!"_

The same blond, hitting him. Pounding on him mercilessly. Spatting words with so much hate. 'What did I do to this girl, to make her hate me so much?' His thoughts were confused, but there were no feelings next to the memories. Slowly, all his memories came back, but the stronger ones where those which had hurt him the most. The whole thing came back and made his head hurt. He growled and bent over, waiting for the pain to go over, as his memories flooded his mind once again. He suddenly stopped shivering, and he began breathing slowly.

He collected himself and then stood up. His eyes cold and no sign of the smirk that used to adorn his face every once in a while. He looked over and found his clothes in a bag near a corner. He slowly dressed and stepped outside the morgue. He walked slowly,  not the way he used to, but with a firm step and no extra movements. He once again headed towards the place where he had left his duster. He found it exactly where he had left it, and at the sight of it, he lost his cool. He began laughing.  Uncontrollable laughter, as he had never laughed before. As he calmed down, he began thinking about it. Why had he laughed? It appeared out of nowhere and it went away as sudden as it came. He put on his coat and took his rings and his chain, placing them on. He was feeling so weird, as if he was... off. He couldn't feel anything at all. Somehow, detached from his feelings. 

The chip was out, but he didn't feel any joy about it. He was numb. 

He had to try now if he was truly free, he had not seen the chip out of his head. He walked outside of the hospital, and looked out for the first human that crossed his path. He spotted a youg man walking to the hospital, probably an intern or a doctor. 

'Here goes.' He thought, and walked towards the man and punched him clear in the face. The man staggered back and fell on his back.

There was no pain at all.

Then Spike began laughing, once again without premeditation. The lughter grew in intensity and he ran off into the night. His laughter cooled off and his emotions were slowly returning, in mixed up ways and stronger than before. 

He stared up front and howled into the night. 

He was free.

End of Chapter.


	6. The Plan

A/N.- This is chapter Six of the ENOUGH series. And yes, this story has revenge written all over it. Just not yet.

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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The Plan.

It had been some weeks since those kids had begun bothering the slayer. She had suffered some mild annoyances and some deep disturbances because of their childish games. He had thought of them as a minor inconvenience and he had even recurred to them on one ocasion in order to have his chip examined. But they had outgrown their stage of fleas and now were becoming pests. His brain was in shambles but he was coherent enough to think about ending their threats to the slayer. 

'Soddin' fools.' He thought, 'They have done too much, and Bu...the slayer has suffered them for too long.'

He reprimended himself for his near slip. He had to stop thinking about her as a woman. She was the slayer to him, now and forever. Nothing else, nothing more.

But that didn't make him stop loving her. He had hoped against hope that it had been the chip which had made him love her. Not anymore, for the piece of metal was gone and he still loved her. His feelings were incredibly mixed up and his personality was no better. However, he had known about such side effects from his recent trauma. 

'Enough brooding,' He thought, 'time to think about the way to get rid of those wankers.'

His mind travelled back to when he had entered their home, and he tried to recall any significant evidence which might help him in his plan. They were only kids, about 20 or 21, the same age as the slayer and her friends. They knew how to use magic and had a lot of technical knowledge. For what he knew, the three of them had some individual talent which when combined with the others made them a somewhat formidable group.  Warren was the one who knew a lot about technology. The short one always smelt funny, just like Red did after performing a spell, so Spike guessed that he was the magic part of the trio. And the other one, well, he only seemed to be a geek. The unknown quantity. Maybe there was his opening. Since he had already surprised them once, he guessed that maybe they had taken precautions against him. And his reputation as the slayer's lapdog didn't help at all.

He supposed it could be so simple as to hunt them in the dark and kill them all. Drain them dry and pull their bones out and eat their marrow. Or maybe he'd eviscerate them or impale them, while drinking their blood with a straw. And yet, as satisfying as the fantasies were, he just knew that he wouldn't kill again. Perhaps in self defense or if someone tried to hurt Dawn. He assumed that his no-kill policy was a part of his lobotomy. Another annoying side effect. 

Back in track, he had been walking from the hospital towards his crypt. He had to stack up and plan his next move. He took the essential in a duffle bag. He ate all the blood he could, he needed all his strenght. If his mind was in not top shape, at least his body could be. He threw a few clothes in the bag and left everything behind. He patted his front pocket, remembering that the only thing he wanted was still there.  And there were other things he had stolen in his way home from the hospital. That would be arranged after he completed his plan. 

What could make them slip? They had been very thorough in their attacks and had managed to fool everyone. He thought he could ask Red for help but he didn't want the slayer's friends to know about his plans. He could handle this by himself. At least he hoped so. 

'I should laugh out.' He thought, 'They're only three kids and they're giving us so much trouble.' 

He would have smiled but he didn't feel like it. He had his feelings back but he had no control over them. He would be normal at one point, then he'd be brooding the next, and then he'd be laughing out loud the next. But having no chip was worth it all.

'I'm drifting again.' He thought and began thinking about his problem again.

They had killed a girl, and had framed the slayer for it. Maybe he'd change the roles. He'd frame them for something they hadn't done. It was so ironic and so perfect. He'd have to act quickly. He didn't want to give them the chance of hurting the slayer again. He knew where they lived so he began in there.

---------------------------------------------

Some time later, Buffy entered his crypt, totally furious. Xander had found a camera inside an ugly elf figure in her front lawn. And the primary suspect was Spike. The vampire who didn't leave her alone. She looked around and found no one. She couldn't even feel the bleached vampire in the vicinity. She sighed, he probably was up to another stakeout in her house. The camera in her hands was proof enough for it.

'I'm getting tired of this games.' Buffy thougt as she left the crypt.

---------------------------------------------

He had placed a deadline on himself. He only had 24 hours to plan and take down those kids. And he had spent already an hour and a half by pacing around in the sewers. He just kept dissing plans as none seemed keen enough to make those fools pay. A day would be enough, or so he hoped. He expected that the three idiots wouldn't do anything to the slayer on the remaining 22 and a half hours. His plan had to involve a way of getting these idiots out of the way forever. Bury them in jail for the rest of their life. However, Warren could build something with a simple radio and escape. The midget could conjure something with a few ingredients and pull a spell.

'They must be incapacitated,' He thought, 'but jail isn't enough.'

There had to be a place where they'd be guarded and yet couldn't do a thing. An asylum. A mental institution. Yes, that was it, they'd be locked and heavily sedated. No hope of ever getting their thoughts coherent enough to escape. He smiled a bit. He wasn't so far off that he couldn't help but feel a little joy. Now, how could he get them  in the looney bin? He'd have to prey on their fears in order to get them to screw up. His main target was the blonde wanker. He seemed to be the weakest link, and he had no discernible talent. A plot to get them against each other was slowly forming in his mind. The human mind could be easily influenced, so if he planted a doubt in the blond jerk's mind, he'd separate them. Yet, he only had a few hours, and he was determined to end the whole deal in his remaining 22 hours. He had torn a group apart before, with the scoobies and the slayer in the whole Adam incident. But he had no time and no such knowledge about the freaks. It would be a hit and run affair. In his 127 years of unlife he had never taken the time to plan. He had always acted upon impulses, and it was really hard to go against his gut. 

He needed evidence for his plan. And a gruesome act needed to be done. But he had done a lot of things which could not be even measured in the gruesome scale, so he had no worries about the idea. He hoped the weakest link was indeed the one who'd crack. He had to run through the sewers to avoid being caught by anyone, most likely the slayer or her friends. After he settled everything in place he'd have to hide. His crypt was commonly known and he guessed that'd be the first place they'd look. The slayer's house would be also visited, which was helping in his now developing plan. He'd hoped for Dawn to help him, but he had to do this alone. He was sure that if any of the scoobies found out about his missing chip, he'd be sucking the floor in a dusty way.

'No point thinking about it,' He bitterly thought, 'even after this they'll probably still hate me.'

He ran ahead, repeating in his mind the ideas he was suddenly having, discarding those involving brutal violence and settling with those of thoughtful meaning. 

He had an outline by the time he reached his goal, now all he had to do was hope that things would work out as planned.

End of Chapter.


	7. Success

A/N.- This is chapter Seven of the ENOUGH series.

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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Success.

15 hours to deadline.

He had stolen what he needed and had proceeded in his task. He had found incredibly difficult entering the lair of the geeks. They had placed some automatic saws in the whole basement but they weren't functional. It seems that they were activated by body heat. And since neither he nor his burden had body heat then he had only the slight problem of the machine gun that left four holes in his stomach. Since he had fed earlier and was strong, the bullets had only managed to slow him down. This kids were incredibly adept in hiding stuff in their computers, but were stupid enough to leave their  notes in the open. Since he was technologically impaired, he opted to read every single thing he found in their lair. He found some very interesting things in their trash can. Their van had broke down a few days before and they had received the bill of it. In the bill he found the license plate number and a secondary adress. That was worth the bullets to the stomach and the other two he received when going out. He managed to rip the hydraulics that operated the machine gun. Sooner or later the slayer would come and he didn't want her to get a few bullets in her stomach.

He once again returned to the sewers, mainly because of his burden and also because of the impending dawn upon him. He had to hurry and plant the evidence in the other household and then make some phonecalls. And yet, he had to incapacitate the geeks to avoid them discovering the evidence before the cops did. Maybe he'd get his spot of violence after all.

14 hours to deadline.

He planted the next evidence after making sure that he had been invited in. This secondary adress was the weakest link's house and it had been so easy being invited in when he said he was a friend of Andrew's. It seemed that the guy had no friends and his mother had been happy to know about her son's friends. After some minutes he left and then proceeded to his idea. The plan was unfolding perfectly, but he had to make them find out that he had been in there. He had left a note in the geeks main lair and he was also leaving a note in here. But this note had to be different. Something to attrack attention and also make the geeks know that it had  been Spike who had been there. 

Fire.

---------------------------------------------------

13 hours to deadline.

"Are you sure that the alarm went off?" Andrew asked, a little scared that someone had entered his house.

"Yes, now back off." Warren answered, he had been looking for the two sacred orbs that would make him invincible and now this incident happened. 

"Do you think the intruder also entered our main base?" Jonathan asked.

"How do you think he found out about Andrew's adress?" Warren answered, clearly annoyed by his teammate's stupid question.

"Oh." Jonathan seemed also tired. He wasn't very happy with the way things had been developing lately. He didn't want anybody to get hurt and now they had killed a girl and they were looking for a way to kill the slayer. He had never forgotten that she saved him before, twice.

They got out of the caves and headed to their van. Once inside, they turned on their monitors and saw that indeed, someone had entered their lairs. But it wasn't the slayer, as they had expected. Their  visitor was more of the undead type.

"Spike." The three said. 

"How in the hell did he entered my house?" Andrew asked. 

"Probably your mother invited him in." Warren said, tired of his partner's stupidity.

"He's sure risking things by walking around in daylight." Jonathan said. 

Warren was about to make a comment but something caught his attention. Two things, actually. He zoomed in and saw a bundle coming slightly out of Andrew's closet. The other thing a slight tendril of smoke making its way into the camera.

"Oh my God," Andrew said, "he started a fire in my house." He panicked and moved to the driver's seat and started the van.

"Wait!" Warren said, "What is that thing in your closet?" He asked.

"I don't know!" Andrew said, placing the shifts to drive and heading home.

They drove fast and when they arrived they saw that a good portion of Andrew's house was on fire. He leapt off the van and ran to where his mother was. He hugged her and began crying with her.

"What happened, mom?" Andrew asked. His mom was near shock and couldn't answer him.

Warren and Jonathan were only stepping out of the van when they heard something that shocked them.

"There's somebody else up there!" A fireman yelled. Two more men ran inside the house to help. Warren, Jonathan and Andrew's mom stared at him. He only stared back and seemed as confused as they all were.

Moments later, the firemen came back with the same bundle that Warren had seen in the monitor earlier. It was to them a bunch of sheets wrapped around something. 

Their bodies froze when a paramedic shed off the sheets and discovered a body. The body of a girl. A naked girl. With a large gash that ran from her chest to her stomach. The paramedic looked up and stared at Andrew and his mother. He looked terrified and searched for his friends' faces.

They were gone.

-----------------------------------------------------

"What the fuck was that?" Jonathan asked, on the verge of tears.

"I don't know," Warren answered, "but I guess that damn vampire has something to do with it."

"Where should we go?" Jonathan whispered, he had no idea of how that affected their plans, but it was very bad.

"Back to the basement, if Spike planted that body in Andrew's house, then surely there must be something in the basement." Warren stated. He was planning on using every machine and every tool he had against the vampire. 'He's gonna pay for this.' Warren thought. He was angry because he now had lost his best pawn and he hadn't been trusting so much in Jonathan. The short guy was going nuts and didn't have the guts to go on with his plans.

He was cut out of his thoughts when they arrived at his house. They stepped out of the van and ran inside, shutting down all the alarms and ran downstairs. They saw that the machine gun had been destroyed and there was some blood on the ground.

"It seems that the machinge gun didn't stop him." Jonathan whispered.

"Of course it wouldn't stop him, moron!" Warren said, smacking Jonathan in the head, "We were waiting for the slayer, or her human friends, not her pet vampire!"

They looked around but everything seemed to be ok. Until they smelt something funny.

"What's that smell?" Warren asked. Jonathan sniffed a little more and made a face.

"I have smelt something like that before." He said, and walked to where a lot of  their boxes had been piled up. He moved the boxes and saw the same image that had been engraved in his mind a few minutes before. Another dead girl, with her chest and stomach cut open. He gasped and stepped back until he slammed into their board. Warren was as shocked as he was and coudln't manage to think straightly.

"That God damned, fucking vampire!" Warren muttered. Jonathan turned around and saw a note taped to the board. He opened it and read two simple words.

TOO LATE.

'Too late for what?' Jonathan thought as he handed the note to Warren. Both their faces fell when they heard the sirens approach the house. They panicked and began to make a run for it. But Warren saw this as his opportunity. He turned around quickly and punched Jonathan in the face, sending him backways into the board. He ran outside and managed to duck beneath the bushes and made his way to his van. He was panting heavily but for some morbid reason waited until the police dragged Jonathan out and the paramedics took the body out of the basement. He had ditched his two pawns but his plans were heavily damaged by the vampire's actions. He had to do something about it.

10 hours to deadline.

Warren knew that Spike lived in a crypt in the cemetery. He had taken his precautions and since it was daylight, he knew that either the vampire was in there or he might be able to set a trap in the crypt. A lesson to the vampire who had dared to confront him. He should be know wearing the legendary orbs and he should be kicking the slayer's ass. But no, he was chasing a vampire who had dared to ruin his fun. He had made the vampire a favor by looking at a chip that was in the vampire's head. After a quick research, Warren had discovered what the chip did, so he had dismissed the vampire as a threat to them. But now, the same vampire had done what the slayer couldn't do. He had destroyed his little unit in a single day. It was unacceptable, he'd have to skip town and start anew somewhere else. He had lost all his information but he still had his van. A lot of their data was in there so he wasn't exactly in the dark. The amount of power that Jonathan's magics brought would be missed but there were a lot of warlocks in the world. 

But something wasn't right. He had adjusted a tracking device attuned to the signals that the chip in Spike's head emmited. He turned the contraption on as soon as he entered the cemetery but the signal had stopped. That meant that either the vampire had skipped town or the chip had been deactivated. Both options didn't appeal to Warren. He walked to where he had seen the slayer the most. Since she confided in the vampire he assumed that maybe he'd narrow the search to those places. And by what the cameras had related to him he knew that Spike lived in the northern area of the graveyard. It was broad daylight so he was confident that he'd be safe. He began searching the crypts one by one. 

However, Spike's plan had predicted his actions, and by the time he exited the fifth crypt, he was surrounded by four police cars and some officers were pointing their weapons at him.

"Well, well, young man." A police officer said, as he walked towards Warren. "It seems that you and your friends not only steal bodies from the coroner's office."

Warren's face turned a pale version of green and suddenly understood that he had been played by Spike. The two bodies in their hiding places. And he roaming a cemetary were not good appereances. Just one thing clouded his mind. How come he had been caught in here?

"I know what your thinkin', son." The officer said, "we received a phone call about a young man preying in this parts of the cemetary at late hours at night. However, the description doesn't really fit you but considering what we found in your basement, well."

Warren's fury escalated even more. They were confusing him with Spike and he knew that it was the vampire who had called the police. He was severely caught and even more screwed up. He had to run. He took out a small circle from his pocket and threw it to the ground. A magnesium flare erupted and the cops were suddenly blinded.

When they opened their eyes, the man had dissappeared.

8 hours to deadline.

End of Chapter.


	8. Payback

A/N.- This is chapter Eight of the ENOUGH series. 

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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Payback.

6 hours to deadline.

Willow had discovered the sites in which the cameras had been hidden by the geeks. They had even planted a camera in the Magic Box, which prompted Xander to witness the damage he had done to Anya. Buffy, Dawn, Wiillow and Xander had seen the state in which Anya was. She was drunk as hell and wailing to her demon friend Halfrek. Xander felt so miserable and hurt that he ran to the Magic Box and tried to make ammends about their relationship. 

At that, Buffy felt a little odd because she had tried to blame Spike for the cameras. Speaking of Spike, she had not seen him since that incident outside her house. And she didn't know how that made her feel. He had been sort of a friend and had withstood everything that she threw his way.

Maybe she'd reconsider about looking for him.

---------------------------------------------------------

5 and a half hours to deadline.

Warren had looked everywhere for the vampire, and he was now carrying a crossbow and a gun, in case there was any trouble. He had been on the run from the police, which seemed to have his photo en every police car and they had the license plates. Another gift from Spike, he guessed. So there was only one last place to go and look for the vampire. A bar he had known about ever since Andrew began researching about the demon population in Sunnydale. A place called Wily's. As soon as he found the place he noticed that most of the attendance were not humans. He cautiously entered the place and looked around. Most vampires eyed him appreciatively as they were thinking about dinner. Some other demons just looked at him as prey. But Wily just laughed at him.

"What are you doing here, boy?" Wily asked. Warren lost no time and took out his gun and aimed it at Wily's face.

"I'm looking for Spike," Warren said, "tell me where can I find him?"

Wiily just kept staring at the gun in front of his eyes and cleared his throat. He didn't know what to do. But he remembered that Spike was chipped and was actually no problem at all.

"He was here a few hours ago. He nicked some whiskey and blood and got out of here."

Warren snickered and ran outside the bar. It had been a waste of time, and it seemed that Spike was ten steps ahead of him. As soon as he got outside he felt how someone got hold of his arms and slammed him to the wall. He almost blacked out from impact and tried to reach for his weapons. Of course, he wasn't fast enough and he lost his crossbow and his gun in a few seconds. He didn't want to look up, because he knew who was doing this. 

"How did you get the chip out, Spike?" Warren asked, still not looking up.

"So you knew what the soddin' thing did?" Spike answered, and relaxed to light up a cigarrette. Warren just snickered and wiped his nose, which was bleeding. 

"It was pretty much obvious after analyzing it." He now looked up and could not see the vampire's face. Only a slight contour made visible by the glow of the cigarrete in the night.

"Well, it's gone now." Spike said, inhaling smoke. He leaned over and blew the smoke in Warren's face. The young man coughed a bit and tried to move. Spike made him stand still by slamming him against the wall one more time. Warren coughed up and tried to focus a little bit. He then saw the eyes of the vampire in front of him. They were glowing yellow. 

Fear crept all over him. He had never seen a vampire up this close and so angry. Had he know the story of William the Bloody he'd be certainly soiling his pants. 

"One thing, boy," Spike growled, "I'm certainly tempted to kill you, but you won't get away so easily."

Spike slammed his fist into Warren's face, but not strong enough to send him into unconsciousness.  The next hit went into Warren's gut, cutting off his breath intake. Just as soon as Warren was expecting another punch he saw that Spike was walking away from him. He lost no time and began heading to his van, maybe he could run over the damned vampire and then run away from town. But his plan was cut short when he saw that the four tires were flat on the floor and every window was crashed. He wouldn't go far in that vehicule. His anger rose and grew into a murderous rage. He didn't know where could the vampire go but he at least thought of a place where he could extract revenge. 

The slayer's house. 

So he ran there. He ran with all the speed his legs could give. 

4 and a half hours to deadline. 

Warren had ran to the Summers' household but he had not seen the vampire anywhere. And since the slayer was mostly a night bird he had to wait a while until there were no witnesses around. He had lost all semblance of sanity and was now only wanting to hurt those he knew were slightly important to Spike. The vampire's reputation clearly stated that he was the slayer's lapdog, so by hurting her he knew he'd hurt the damn vampire. So he waited for the slayer to be asleep or careless.

He'd wait for as long as it took.

1 hour to deadline.

The slayer had taken her time in getting home and falling asleep. It seemed as if she had been wandering the whole town because she seemed tired. Or so Warren thought, he was too immersed in his own personal fantasy about tearing the slayer's throat out. He took out his swiss army knife, the only weapon he had left, and proceeded to climb up the tree. As soon as he got halfway to the tree a light shone suddenly and illumminated the spot in where he was. He couldn't see what was going on but he decidedly heard the words   that were spoken next.

"Get down that tree and put your hands in the air!" 

He laughed desperately. The kind of laughter mixed with tears that came when desperation and panic took over a human being. He just left himself fall off the tree and walked to where a few police cars made their appereance. Two policemen came running and threw him to the ground, where they placed the handcuffs in his wrists.

He looked up at them and snickered.

"I'd ask but let me guess, an anonymous phonecall?" Warren said.

The officer just stared at him. 

"Quit trying to be a smartass! You're under arrest!" The policeman said and dragged Warren to the car. At that point the four girls inside the house came outside.

Buffy walked to the police officer and saw that they had someone handcuffed in the back of the car. 

"What happened, officer?" Buffy asked, curious to know who was in the car.

"Sorry to disturb you, miss," the officer said, taking off his hat, "but we received a call about a stranger lurking in the shadows, and we came over and found this creep climbing up your window."

Buffy sighed, and the first thought that came to her mind was that Spike was the man cuffed in the car.

"May I see the man you arrested?" She asked. The officer gave her a puzzled look and nodded. Buffy approached the car and frowned when she saw that it wasn't Spike. However, the man inside the car was someone she knew.

"Warren?" she whispered. 

"Do you know this man?" the policeman asked. 

Buffy nodded.

"We went to the same high school." She answered, anxious to know what was going on.

"Well, this thwerp is in for some major offences," the officer said, "he made some pretty gruesome things, but don't worry miss, he won't go anywhere near you."

"What did he do?" Buffy asked.

The officer seemed a little uncomfortable, but he thought that since the offender had been caught outside her window, she deserved a little explanation.

"He made some very disturbing things, miss, nothing you need to know about," the officer told her, "he will be in jail or some mental institution for a long while, next to his two sick friends."

The policeman waved Buffy goodnight and stepped inside her car. But Buffy still had one more question.

"Excuse me, officer, " Buffy said as the officer rolled his door window down, "but who made the phonecall?"

"It was anonymous, miss," the policeman said, smiling, "but I'll tell you this, the caller had a strange accent, probably from England."

Buffy smiled and the policemen took off. The sirens turned off and their lights dissappeared down the road.

Buffy stared at them and then turned around to where their friends were standing in the front porch. She was about to fill them in when she felt the familiar tingle. She didn't know what to do and she was so tired to find out about it. However, when she turned around she saw nothing. She'd have to talk to the vampire aboout the things he had been doing. But tonight she was tired and she didn't want to think about  many things.

In the distance, Spike saw the whole thing coming to an end. His plan had worked out and everything was under control. He even had some thirty minutes until deadline.

The 24 hours had been spent cleverly, but there were some other things he had to do.

He had taken care of the geeks but now it was the scoobies' turn.

It was payback time.

End of Chapter.


	9. Xander

**A/N.- This is chapter Nine of the ENOUGH series. WARNING, if by any chance you the reader happens to like the character of Xander Harris, you should REALLY skip this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Xander.

Now that the geeks were terminated he proceeded to the next step that had to be taken. He had returned to his crypt in order to arrange his final affairs there. There was time enough to do what had plagued his mind for the last year. He had been a member of the scooby gang, at least in his mind. He had been slowly accepted by the girls but there was one obstacle that always stood in his way. In his chipped, dead slayer days he only wanted to be accepted by the kids. Dawn loved him, Willow stood him, Tara talked to him, Anya annoyed him, Giles bossed him around, but they all seemed to make him fit. All but one.

Alexander Harris.

He had endured all his sarcasm, all his hate filled words and all his mockery towards him. Not anymore. He had been patient because of his love for the slayer. However, she had shut him out. There was no need to continue being civil with the boy. He was in for a world of pain.

Spike remembered faintly where the boy lived, but he had dreamed about the day when he could smash the boy's brains in, so he always knew where the whelp was. However, the day had been very long and he needed the rest. Soon, he fell asleep, but this time, there were no dreams.

--------------------------------------------

Another night alone, Xander Harris had blown up the fifth attempt of getting back with Anya because he was drunk. He had feared all his life becoming what his father was and he managed to become him and ruin his relationship even before getting married. That was even new in the Harris' family affairs. 

He was so into self pity that when he heard the knock on the door he hoped that it was Anya, coming to patch things up. Or maybe Willow, who had been his best friend, and she'd come with a plan to solve things. Or Buffy, who was the strong rock to where he clinged when things went bad, coming to tell him about the way the geeks had been arrested. When they talked in the day she had been weird and didn't want to talk about it. 

That day had been really weird, with the three freaks finally in jail. 

"Coming!" He shouted, and rinsed his mouth, trying to get rid of the alcohol stench. He walked towards the door and was shocked by the face that greeted him,

--------------------------------------------

The vampire saw the boy's face show hate, He had tried to get along with him but it was a futile attempt of standing the boy.. He was in no mood to talk to the whelp but he had to either lure him out or get the idiot to invite him into his house. Xander stared at the clock in his wall and saw that it had only been a few minutes since sundown. It should be no later than 8:30.

"What are you doing here, deadboy?" Xander asked, clearly annoyed by the presence of Spike in his very doorstep.

"Came 'ere to talk to you, boy." Spike answered. Xander snickered and waved at the vampire.

"Get the hell away from here, Spike, you're not welcome here."

Spike remained calm and looked at the man in front of him. He was a wreck, and even if Spike hadn't been a vampire he would have still detected the wiff of alcohol.

"You're drunk, boy." Spike stated.

Xander laughed and went to his bar and took out a beer. He opened it and drank half of it with one swig.

"Well, I do what I want to." 

"Think you can use that soddin' brain of yours and remember what I'm about to tell you?" Spike asked, taking out a cigarrette from his pocket and lighting it.

"I'm not stupid, Spike, what do you want?" Xander said, getting angry at the vampire.

"You'll deliver a message to the slayer." Spike said, taking a drag of his cigarrette.

"A message to Buffy?" Xander asked, "Why me? I thought you used every chance you got to be near her."

Spike just remained silent, staring at Xander.

"Fine, tell me about it." Xander finally said.

"I'm leaving town." Spike said, and he exhaled the smoke he had stored in his lungs.

"Well, such good news!" Xander exclaimed, walking towards the vampire. "But tell me, to what do we owe this joyous occasion?"

Spike just kept staring at Xander, and said nothing more, he only kept smoking his cigarrette.

"Answer me." Xander approached the vampire, who seemed to have been frozen still in the doorstep. "Damn it, Spike, what are you playing at?" Xander said, approaching the vampire a bit too close, just showing his arm outside the door frame. 

Spike saw this as his one opportunity and quickly grabbed Xander's arm and yanked him outside his house, throwing him down the hallway. 

"Hey! What's wrong with you, deadboy?!" Xander yelled at the vampire, and staggered to one side of the wall. Spike just walked slowly towards him, throwing his cigarrette away.

"There's another thing I want you to tell the slayer." Spike said, "And you'll be the perfect means of delivery."

Xander stood up and moved fast to where Spike was standing.

"I won't help you, ever!" Xander threw a punch at Spike's face. The next reaction surprised Xander as his fist was caught by Spike's hand. And Xander was even more surprised when Spike began squeezing his hand. Painfully squeezing. Xander's face fell when he realized the implications of such painful act. Spike's eyes then turned golden, and he smiled.

"That's right, boy, the chip's gone."

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Xander saw stars when Spike fist slammed into his face. The sweet haze of alcohol had faded as soon as the rain of punches began. Xander did his best to defend himself but he was no match for a vampire. No, clear that, he was no match for Spike. 

Spike's face remained expressionless, and he continued his physical attack on Xander. However, he wasn't causing the damage that Xander had expected. It seemed as if he was only playing with his prey, much as a cat does with a mouse.

"So this is it? You get rid of the chip and you come to kill us?" Xander asked, wiping his bloodied nose and lip. "You couldn't wait, huh? You are a soulless monster!"

Spike's expression still didn't change, and he punched Xander once again.

"Wrong, boy," Spike said, "I tried to change. You wouldn't let me."

Xander frowned, spitting some more blood.

"Oh sure, you tried so hard, trying to sell us and building your Buffy-bot and trying to get into Buffy's pants." 

Spike stood still, not punching Xander nor moving a little bit.

"It was my nature, what's your excuse?" Spike said. Xander's eyes lit up and stared at the golden-eyed vampire in front of him. Strangely, Spike had not morphed into his demon visage, he only had his eyes shining golden.

"What's my excuse? What are you talking about?" Xander shouted at Spike.

"Yes, boy, what's your excuse?" Spike firmly stated, "Your excuse of being so stupid, of being so immature, for being the burden that the slayer must carry on." Spike repeated his motions and lighted another cigarrette. "What's your reason for always criticizin' her, when you should support her? What can you offer as an explanation for being selfish enough to rip her out of heaven?" 

Xander winced at every thing that Spike told him, things that he had thought before but had never ventured into really analyzing them.

"Think about it boy, you cling to her for support, because you're not strong enough to live your own life," Spike said, staring into the man's eyes, "you have never been a man. You expect her to live her life so righteously because she's your support. You want her to be perfect, but when have you helped her to be happy? You couldn't even keep an ex-demon happy. You're a loser, Harris. So tell me now, I'm a monster, but what the hell are you?"

Xander looked up, and stared into Spike golden eyes, and laughed.

"I'm her friend, more than you will ever be."

Spike stood still through the comment made by Xander. He made no sudden moves and took Xander by his neck and lifted him. Xander was so tired and so beaten up that he made no attempt to defend himself, he just laughed histerically.

"You used to say I was pathetic, boy," Spike said, "but look at you now. You're drinking yourself stupid over another soddin' mistake you did. If you so call yourself the slayer's friend then why are you such a burden for her?"

Xander stopped laughing and seemed serious. He was now beginning to see the real danger he was in. Spike had still not lost his temper and he was behaving frightenly calm. Xander felt as if he was in the eye of the hurricane.

"If you were a man, I'd kill you." Spike growled, "But you're not even worthy of that. You'll have to live your bloody stupid excuse for a life and you´ll have to learn how to deal with the things you do. Now you have to answer to all the things you did and said to me, and then there'll be so much more things you'll have to be responsible for. That is if you choose to grow up and make yourself into something useful."

Spike punched him hard, repeatedly, and broke a few ribs in the process. 

"Stop being a burden, boy." Spike said, as he threw the broken man inside his appartment. Spike walked away and made a mental note to call an ambulance on his way to his next target.

Or he'd just call using Willow's phone.

End of Chapter.


	10. Willow

**A/N.- This is chapter Ten of the ENOUGH series. Last part I wanted to really rip Xander's guts out but I made this story PG, so, sorry me.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Willow

Spike was still deciding wether to call the ambulance right now or wait for Willow to do it. He didn't hurt badly the carpenter  but the boy would still need some stitches and a few bandages around the ribs. He was also slightly worried about how the girl would react. She was best friends with the whelp and he'd show up with the news of  'Hey, I got the chip out' and 'I beat the crap out of your friend tonight!'. Not a good idea. However, he was intent with such  plan and he'd go through with it.

He knew that Willow was still liiving with the slayer and he'd have to risk getting staked in order to talk to the witch. And he had time running against him, because he had left the idiotic boy unconscious but as soon as he woke up he'd call the slayer. No good. Not good at all.

He opened the kitchen's window and climbed in, surprised that his invitation hadn't been revoked. He also risked some mayor bodily harm but he had seen the slayer that day and she was out of the house, patrolling. And there was the slight detail that she knew what he had done to the geeks. The detail that worried him the most was the tiny subject of having stolen the corpses from the morgue. He didn't regret it, he had done worst things in his time. He just hoped that he'd have the chance to explain himself should a fight ensue.

Another hope, he should have learnt by now to not have hope anymore.

Without losing time, he moved upstairs and went to Willow's room. He had to do this quickly and escape before anything happened. He slowly moved next to Willow's bed and discovered that she wasn't alone. He had smelt the flowery scent that the other person in the room had, but he waited to see if she really was there.  The two heartbeats were a dead giveaway but he was a sucker for surprises. He smiled weakly at seeing Willow hugging Tara next to her. He wanted to talk to Tara as well, but right now it was about Willow. He had no idea about how to wake her up without startling her. 

'Afraid of girls, Spike?' He thought, and with a stern hand, he touched Willow's arm lightly.

"Willow," he whispered, "please, wake up."

He was being gentle because he really didn't want her to scream or Tara to wake up and make him explode or something like that.

The redheaded girl stirred a bit and snuzzled closer to Tara.

'Dammit!' Spike thought, this was not going as planned at all.

"Willow," He said, once again but this time a little louder, "wake up." 

He gripped her arm a little tightly, not to hurt her but to hold her physically and try to drag her out of her deep sleep. She groaned a bit and turned around slowly, letting go of Tara and opening her eyes.

"Uhmm, what is it?" She whispered a bit, still groggy and trying to focus.

"Please don't scream," Spike said, watching her and taking a step back, "I need to talk to you."

Willow's eyes flew open as she recognized the voice. She hadn't seen him in a while and she was surprised to find him in her room.

"Spike?" She said, not screaming to avoid waking Tara, "What are you doing here?" She suddenly realized that she was barely wearing anything and dragged the sheets up to her neck.

"Sorry for intruding, but I need to talk to you, please." Spike said, looking intently into her eyes, as if to reassure her that he wasn't staring at anything else.

"Couldn't it wait until morning?" Willow asked.

Spike just stared at her.

"Can't wait, besides, sun." He said.

Willow nodded and looked at the time in her watch. 10:30 pm.

"Ok," she said, "what do you want to talk about?"

"Not here," Spike said, moving his head, "please meet me in the back porch in ten minutes."

Willow looked at him strangely.

"Please, Willow." He whispered. She nodded and watched him as he walked quietly to the door. She hadn't heard him call her by her name in a long time, and she felt as if he was different. He paused, as if he was arguing with something in his mind.

"Hurry, please."

Willow was unsure of what to do. She quietly stood off the bed and dressed with whatever she found near the bed.

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9 and a half minutes later, Willow was walking out of the kitchen door and found the vampire a few yards away. He was finishing a cigarrette and staring at the moon. Willow walked and was unsure of what to do. As she approached him, he turned around and stared at her.

"Thanks for coming out, Willow." Spike said. Willow just nodded and returned the stare.

"I know you're not comfortable coming out here, but I needed to talk to you." Spike threw his cigarrette and looked intently into her eyes.

"I have some news and I wanted to tell you about them," he said, and approached Willow. She was unsure but she held her ground. After all, she had learnt to trust the vampire, but he was behaving so strangely.

"It has to do about what you did to Warren and his friends?" Willow asked, having talked with Buffy and hearing the chopped up version. She had also slipped in the slight telltale signs that Spike had something to do with it. Spike just shrugged and took a drag out of his cigarrette.

"I did nothin'. They had it coming." Spike answered, not wanting any credit about what he'd done.

"Yeah, right, Spike." Willow said, smiling, "Thanks anyways. So what did you want to talk about?"

Spike once again looked up, into the moon.

"I think I owe this to you," Spike said, without looking at her and throwing away his almost finished cigarrette, "you were the only one who treated me nice from the beginning."

Willow hadn't expected this to go this way, she was even more surprised by the fact that Spike was being civil and wasn't acting the way he usually did.

"Well, Dawn also did but let's not go into metaphysical aspects right now." He pulled out another cigarrette and noticed that it was the last one.

"You have always been the most decent of the whole gang, Willow," he said, "do you mind?" he asked, holding the cigarrette and lighter in his hands.

"No, go ahead." Willow said, growing more surprised by the minute.

"Even when I tried to hurt you all you were still very civilized to me." Willow saw the lighter flicker into life and the deep inhalation that Spike took. "And I wanted to thank you for that." He exhaled the smoke and looked back at her.

"I'm leaving town, Willow." He said, and Willow frowned. "I've outlasted my welcome, but I wanted you to know that I appreciated the fact that you accepted me when no one else did." He walked to her and extended his arm, his palm wide open.

Willow understood the action and shook hands with him.

"Thanks, Spike, but why are you leaving?" Willow asked as soon as she let go of his hand.

"Some issues that need to be dealt with," He said, and tucked his hands into his duster pockets, "the other thing I needed to tell you about."

Willow crossed her arms across her chest, and she knew that she wouldn't like what the vampire was about to tell her.

"You know now how I think about you, Willow," Spike said, "and please don't freak about this."

Willow nodded. She knew that he thought of her as a friend, but he'd never actually say it.

"Go ahead, Spike, what is it."

Spike's eyes flashed yellow and seemed a bit ashamed. Willow shivered with the sudden change in Spike's eyes.

"I need you to call an ambulance," Spike said, Willow was about to ask but he silenced her with a move of his hand, "don't speak, just listen. Send the ambulance to Xander's house."

Willow panicked, and stared at Spike's golden eyes. What had happened?

"Oh, my God, Spike, what happened?" She said, ready to run and call 911.

He smiled and took her hand once again. He kissed the top of it and took a few steps back.

"I visited the whelp, Willow. The chip is gone."

Willow's eyes suddenly seemed to lost all life in them, and she began shaking.

"He's not dead, Willow, we just cleared our differences." Spike said as he began walking away. 

"Take care of yourself, girl, please take care."

Willow stood there for a few moments after Spike dissappeared down the road before running inside the house, panicking.

"Tara!!"

End of Chapter.


	11. Tara

**A/N.- This is chapter Eleven of the ENOUGH series. By the way, this is a long series, I still have a lot to write about, so any comment is appreciated.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Tara.

"Tara!!"

Willow screamed, not caring that they had just gone to sleep and it was a schoolnight. She grabbed the phone just as a very tired slayer came through the front door.

"What is it, Will, what happened?" Buffy asked, seeing  the look of fear in her friends eyes.

"It's Xander, Buffy!" Willow yelped, while dialing the familiar number.

"What?" Buffy asked, not understanding what was going on. From the stairs, also appeared Dawn and Tara, both covered only by their robes and feeling very tired as well.

"What's going on, Buffy?" Dawn asked. Buffy made a motion for her to be quiet as she heard Willow asking an ambulance to go to Xander's house. When Willow hung up she had three worried girls in front of her.

"Ok, Willow, what happened? How's Xander?" Buffy asked. Willow took a deep breath and dialed the number to Xander's apartment.

"Xander had an accident." Willow said, "of the supernatural kind."

Buffy immediately took on slayer mode, and walked to her weapons chest. "Fine, let's go and see him, I want to be there when the ambulance arrived." She took out an axe and turned around in time to see Willow hanging up the phone.

"He's not answering, Buffy." Willow said.

"We're on our way, Will. How did you find out about Xander?" Buffy asked. Willow seemed a bit insecure, having Dawn and Tara in the room with them.

"I'll explain to you on the way," Willow said, "let's go."

Buffy just looked up at her sister and her friend, as she opened the door.

"Tara, can you stay and take care of Dawn, please?" Buffy asked.

"Sure, Buffy." Tara said.

"Hey, I want to go too, Xander's my friend!" Dawn chipped in.

"No, Dawn, Willow said that it had been a supernatural accident, so I want you to stay here, and don't argue!" Buffy yelled.

Dawn simply nodded and kept quiet. Tara hugged her and nodded to Buffy as well.

Willow and Buffy walked out and then the slayer noticed something odd.

"Why are you dressed at this hour, Will?"

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Tara walked Dawn back to her room and tucked her in, assuring her that as soon as she found out something she'd let her know. Tara went downstairs and made herself some tea, it was already kind of late and she wanted something to help her sleep.

She went back to what she now hoped would be her room once again and sat on the bed. She remained silent for some time and then she sighed.

"Are you going to talk to me or will you just stare at me?" Tara said.

Spike walked out of the shadows and looked at Tara.

"I won't hurt you." Spike said, "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Just like you wanted to talk to Willow?" She asked, smiling at him.

"You knew I was here?" He asked, feeling a little bit surprised. Tara kept smiling.

"Of course, as soon as Willow moved I woke up," she said, drinking a bit more of her tea, "but I guessed you wanted some privacy."

"Thank you, but I also want to talk to you." He said.

"Sure, fire away." Tara said. Spike walked just to stand in front of her. He stared at her and sighed.

"You don't stutter at all, do you?" Spike asked, trying to break the tension.

"And you're no longer the Big Bad, yes, what about it?" She said, smiling.

Spike couldn't help but smile. She had become the mother figure after Joyce died and she took care of all of them, in her own way. She was the adult among the group of scoobies. 

"I'll be honest with you, Tara, there's no point in going 'round the table here." Spike said, grabbing his hair. "The chip is gone, Tara, I managed to get rid of it."

Tara was indeed surprised, but she didn't want to make a big fuss of it.

"How long?" She asked. Spike was grateful that she wasn't screaming or was trying to turn him into a toad.

"It was gone two days ago." He answered, lowering his head. He expected Tara to reprimend him or go running for Buffy.

"That explains the Warren incident. You had something to do with that didn't you?" Tara asked. Spike just smiled at her.

"Well, thank you, who knows what those jerks would have done." Tara then stared intentlyy at him.

"Have you..., I mean, do you...?" Tara tried to ask, but Spike knew exactly what she was implying.

"Nope, no killing anyone. Don't want to, don't plan to go back." He answered.

"Then what you did to Xander was an accident?" She asked, placing two and two together. Spike looked away and walked to the window.

"I didn't kill him. He just needed someone to put him in his place." Spike said, staring into the night. Soon the slayer would find out about what happened and he'd be chased. Again.

"Well, the no killing part is good, but I guess Buffy won't be pleased when she finds out you put her friend in the hospital." Tara said.

"I really don't care what the slayer thinks, Tara," Spike said, with a bit of coldness in his voice, "we all have to answer to the things we do."

Tara was surprised again. Not only because Spike was being strange but also because he wasn't talking the way he used to. He hadn't referred to Willow as 'Red', and he wasn't calling her 'Glinda', and he called Buffy 'slayer'. She had never seen him like that.

"Is there something wrong, Spike?" Tara asked, staring at the vampire who she felt she didn't know anymore.

"As I told your girlfriend, I'm leaving town." Spike said. Tara smiled when he called Willow her 'girlfriend', but she felt sad when he told her he was leaving. She risked everything with her next question.

"It has to do with you and Buffy, isn't it?" Tara softly asked.

Spike didn't turn around, he just kept staring ahead.

"Not everything in my life revolves around the slayer." He answered.

"I don't want to intrude in your personal life, Spike, but I know about you and Buffy." She said, expecting the volatile vampire to explode after that revelation.

"What about me and the slayer, Tara?" He said, "And what life, I don't have a life." He turned around and looked at her. "But I'm planning on changing that."

"Why won't you say her name, then?" Tara asked. She knew now that she was intruding but she wanted to help him. And only by knowing the whole story she'd be able to do something.

"She's only the slayer to me, Tara." Spike said, pacing around.

"You know that is not true, Spike." Tara told him, standing up and placing her empty cup on the drawer, "You two had a relationship, a bit weird but there was something there."

Spike's eyes turned on her's and she expected to see something in there. Yet, there was nothing, there was no emotion in those eyes.

"No, Tara, " Spike said, "in a relationship there must be giving and receiving. Mutual feelings. A reciprocation of trust. There was nothing like that between the slayer and me. I'm a vampire to her, and vampires are monsters. End of story."

"You know you're not a monster." Tara said. 

"Wrong, Tara, I am a monster, that is why I'm leaving town. I finally realized that I will always be a monster, no matter what I think." Then his eyes softened and smiled a bit. "Yet, you were always nice, just like Willow. I'm glad that you two are back together. You deserve happines, Tara. I hope you and Willow live happily ever after."

Tara couldn't help but smile and hug the vampire in front of her. She never thought of him as a monster. Sure, he was obnoxious and arrogant but he was always decent with her. Maybe because she met him when he was already chipped and was on his way of loving Buffy.

"I never thanked you for what you did on my birthday, Spike." Tara said, as she disentengled her from Spike's arms.

"What, for hitting you?" Spike asked, curious about it.

"No, Spike, you gave me my humanity back with that single punch, " Tara smiled, "thank you."

"Anytime, Tara." Spike looked at her and hugged her once again.

"Please look after the scoobies," he said, "they're still children."

Tara looked at him and nodded. She didn't know what had prompted Spike to believe he was a monster. He cared about all of them, maybe not Xander, but he hadn't killed him. It was his sign of respect for Xander and also to Buffy. Even in his weird state he was still thinking about them.

"Now I'm off to the hardest one of you." Spike said, sighing. Tara nodded and gave him a brief smile. 

"Should I leave the house?" Tara asked.

Spike shook his head.

"No, thanks, I guess she'll want someone to talk to after I say goodbye." Spike said, "but if she stakes me then please don't let her throw me into the trash can."

Tara smiled and nodded. She knew that the next one on Spike's list would be the hardest. Even harder than Buffy. 

Dawn just wouldn't understand.

End of Chapter.


	12. Dawn

**A/N.- This is chapter Twelve of the ENOUGH series. **

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Dawn.

Buffy and Willow arrived a few minutes before the ambulance arrived. They ran upstairs to Xander's apartment and found the door unlocked. Both girls entered and gasped when they saw their friend lying face down just where his attacker had left him. They left the door wide open for the paramedics to enter and didn't know wether to move their friend or leave him lying in there.

"Oh, God, he's so beaten up." Buffy whispered. Willow was shocked beyond belief. She knew that Spike hated Xander but she didn't know to what degree. Now she had an idea. 

"Willow! I'm talking to you!" Buffy said. Her friend had dozed off and seemed to be on a faraway land. "How did you know that Xander was like this?" She asked, "Did he call you?"

Willow shook her head no and was just staring at her shattered friend. All of a sudden, the paramedics arrived and proceeded to help Xander. Buffy didn't know what was going on but when they stepped outside the apartment to give the paramedics room she noticed something. There was blood on the hallway's walls. That meant that Xander had been assaulted outside and thrown into his apartment. Who was so considerate to attack someone and then throw him into his house? And Willow had said that he had been attacked by the supernatural. She knew something that she didn't.

"What happened, Willow?" Buffy said, staring at her friend, "What are you not telling me?"

"Uhm," Willow fidgeted a little with her sweater, "promise to not be mad at me?" She asked nervously.

Buffy stared at her. She was worried and she saw her worries reflected in Willow's eyes.

"I can't promise you anything, Will, one of our best friends is lying there in a puddle of his own blood!" Buffy shook her hands violently, "So please forgive me if I am a little pissed off and want to know who did this to Xander so I can go and rip him in half!"

Willow trembled a bit, and lowered her head. What she said next was a little whisper, but it was something that hit Buffy like a thunder.

"Spike." 

----------------------------------------------------

Dawn heard a soft knock on her door. She woke up and stared at her clock. It was 10:45. Barely ten minutes after Buffy had left to see what had happened to Xander. She assumed it was Tara knocking to tell her that they had called and she knew what was wrong with Xander. She got up, wrapped herself in her robe and went to open her door.

"Ok, Tara, tell me what's...." She expected to see her friend but she was greeted by the face of a vampire in her house.

"Hi, Dawn," Spike said, "can I talk to you?"

Dawn was shocked but not afraid. She was used to seeing the vampire in her house. Not so much lately but she still liked him.

"Well, that depends, you haven't been very talkative with me lately." Dawn said, shrugging.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Spike said. Dawn sighed and moved aside, motioning for the vampire to enter her room.

"So, what you wanna talk about?" She said, sitting in the corner of her bed.

Spike stared at her, and felt his emotions back. What was it about this girl that made him feel that way? It was actually very simple; at least it was to him right now. Every time he tried to show emotion to somebody he had been shut down, even mocked upon. But this girl was different.

He showed her his emotions because she let him.

"Are you going to talk or are you gonna mope in there?" Dawn said, confused by Spike's silence.

"Please let me tell you what I want to tell you and later you can scream all you want, ok?" Spike said, staring into Dawn's eyes.

"Something tells me that I won't like what you're about to tell me." Dawn stated, crossing her arms.

"Yes, Dawn, I don't know how to tell you this." Spike ran his hands through his hair and avoided looking at her.

"Ha, well, let me guess," Dawn said, "guess what nibblet, I got the chip out of my head and I'm back on my killing spree!" She ended, having imitated a lousy English accent and laughing out loud. However, she stopped laughing when she saw how Spike lowered his head and his posture changed. Without knowing, she had guessed what he was about to tell.

"Spike?" She asked, her voice small and about to break, "It's true?"

Spike looked up and smiled sadly.

"Yes, Dawn, the chip is out, I managed to get rid of it."

Dawn's face didn't change. She just kept staring at him. She then smiled.

"You haven't killed anyone, right?" She asked.

Spike smiled back at her.

"No, Dawn. Haven't done it and don't plan on doing it again."

She jumped and hugged him.

"I knew it! I knew that even when that thing was out you wouldn't go back to you old ways."

Spike thanked whatever deity would listen for the love that this girl gave him. He almost hated what he had to do next.

"Listen, Dawn, I haven't finished yet."

Dawn separated from him and saw the emotion on the vampire's eyes. She was the only one to whom he'd allow to see any emotion in him. Ever.

"There is something else I need to do." He took a deep breath and grabbed Dawn's shoulders. "I'm going to leave Sunnydale, Dawn."

Now she leapt back, and seemed shocked to the core. She tilted her head and tried to understand what was going on.

"What? Why are you leaving? What happened?" Dawn said, her voice breaking and sounding a pitch higher than usual.

"Listen, Dawn, it's just something I have to do, please don't be mad at me." Spike was afraid that Dawn would close herself and get angry at him. Shutting him off her for the rest of her life. That he couldn't stand.

"Will you come back?" She asked timidly.

"Don't know, Dawn, but I'll keep in touch with you, if you let me." He offered a shy smile. Dawn didn't understand what was going on.

"Is this about Buffy?" Dawn asked. Had Spike been the same his face would have fallen and he'd protect the slayer at all costs. But he wasn't the same Spike; he didn't feel like protecting the slayer anymore.

"Yes, Dawn, it has something to do with the slayer." Spike answered.

Dawn noticed something weird. The same thing that Tara had seen earlier. He wasn't calling her nibblet and he referred to Buffy as the slayer.

"What did she do to you this time?" Dawn asked, noticing the distant look that the vampire had in his eyes. Spike looked away. He didn't want to tell anyone what was going on in his head. But he owed this much to the girl who had always been nice to him. He owed it to the only girl who showed him some tenderness.

"She made me see what I am, Dawn." He finally said. Dawn didn't know what to make of that statement. She wanted to scream or shout at him, or maybe insult her sister. She didn't know what had her sister told the vampire to get him in such mood. 

"You know I won't forfeit that promise, Dawn," He looked at her and ran his hand through her cheek, "if you need me I'll be here. Anytime, everywhere, every when."

Dawn fought back a sad feeling washing over her. He was saying 'see you later', not 'goodbye'. That eased her a little bit.

"Will you keep in touch, Spike?" She asked.

"You know I will." He said, and walked over to the door. "The slayer will tell you about things I did this night, Dawn. Please try to understand my motives."

"It was you who hurt Xander, wasn't it?" Dawn asked, taking a step closer to Spike.

"Yeah," Spike looked at her ashamed, "but he's not dead. I only told him a few basic truths."

"And proceeded to beat the crap out of him." Dawn said, uncomfortable with a friend of her beating another friend.

"One thing, Dawn." Spike said, turning around to stare at her. "It may sound cold, but I don't care what happens to any of them. I just care about what might happen to you. My promise only covered you. No one else."

Dawn was shocked by his statement. Spike had protected the scoobies and seemed to have bonded with them over the summer. She wondered what could have happened in order to change the full of life vampire into the shell that was in front of her.

"You're different, Spike, what happened to you?" Dawn asked, worried as hell.

"Nothing, Dawn. I was simply reminded of the thing I am." Spike smiled and patted her head, ruffling her hair a little bit,

"Now I have to go, Dawn. Someday we'll see each other again."

He turned around, left her room and a few moments later she heard the front door closing. She stepped outside her room and walked to Willow's room, where she knew Tara was. She knocked and waited to hear the sorceress' voice. Instead, Tara opened the door and saw the look in Dawn's eyes. She instantly understood.

"Come here, Dawnie." Tara said, and Dawn approached her and hugged her tightly.

"He's gone, Tara," Dawn weeped. She didn't want to cry but it was becoming really hard to hold on. They stood there, in each other's embrace until the phone rang. Tara let go of Dawn and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Tara, thank God, are you ok?" Buffy asked, obviously nervous.

"Yes, Buffy, I'm all right." Tara said, knowing that Willow had already informed Buffy about Spike

"And Dawn, is she...?"

"She's fine as well, Buffy, a little sad but she's ok." Tara answered Buffy's half question.

"Sad?" Buffy asked, still feeling anxious.

"I'll explain when you get home, Buffy, bye." Tara said.

Buffy said bye as well and the conversation ended. Tara just laid down the phone and returned to comfort the sad teen in her bedroom floor.

End of Chapter.


	13. Buffy

**A/N.- This is chapter Thirteen of the ENOUGH series. **

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Buffy.

Willow decided to stay back in the hospital until they let her see Xander. He wasn't severely injured but he had lost some blood and had a few ribs broken. It seemed that the damage hadn't been so bad, because the paramedics seemed calm and told them that there was nothing to be worried about. 

Even though, Buffy was majorly pissed off at the vampire. And a little bit afraid as well.he had helped her enormously with the geeks' issue and then he goes and does something stupid as getting the chip out and hurting her friend. She wanted to thank him, but when she had lookked for him earlier in the day she had not found him. She only ran into Clem who told her that Spike hadn't been in the crypt for a while.Now she was only confused.  Spike had always been a fierce enemy, and after all that had been going on between them. Well, not a pretty sight.

So she ran even faster home.

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When Buffy ran upstairs, Dawn was asleep in Tara's arms. She smiled at them and noticed the strange grimace that was plastered in her sister's face. When she moved in to ask, Tara held her hand up.

"I guess it's better if she explains it in the morning, Buffy." Tara whispered. Buffy nodded and carried her sister to her own bedroom. She was glad that Spike hadn't visited them that day.

After making sure that her sister was comfortable in her bed, she returned to talk to Tara.

"I'll need you to perform a spell for me as soon as possible, Tara." Buffy asked to the blond sorceress. Tara seemed surprised but she knew what Buffy was thinking about. 

"Sure, Buffy, but I'll need to talk to you first." Tara answered. Such answer confused Buffy, but she was very tired to argue.

"Fine, Tara, but please, I really need that favor from you." Buffy pleaded.

"Sure, Buffy, where's Willow, by the way?" Tara asked.

Buffy explained where her friend was and decided to go and search for the vampire. It wasn't so late and she needed some answers. She once again left Tara in charge of Dawn and walked to the vampire's crypt. 

She broke the door to Spike's crypt. She was in no mood to be the least civilized. 

"Spike!" She shouted. She knew he would be around. He always liked to gloat after he did something evil. 

"Spike!!" 

No answer. She climbed down to the second level and proceeded to look for him. However, it seemed that no one had been here ever since she came looking that afternoon. She lighted some candles that were lying around and found nothing different. Yet, something caught her attention. Some words that were carved on the wall, right above the bed.

NO MORE.

She then felt the tingle that made itself present when the peroxide vampire appeared. She expected a bitter comment or an annoying remark about what he had done to Xander. Or at least the commonly used 'what do you want, slayer?'. But he said nothing. She turned around and saw him. He wasn't leaning in the wall, as he so often greeted her. He wasn't smoking, as she found him usually. He was doing nothing, and by the looks of it, he had only appeared from the tunnels.  She stared at him and noticed that his posture was different. He wasn't standing a little bent to a side. His head wasn't tilted a bit, and he wasn't smirking. He was only standing there. Staring at her. And when she looked at his eyes, she saw the same thing that Xander saw an hour ago. His eyes weren't blue. They were golden, sparkling with yellow on the sides.

"So this is it, Spike?" She asked, as she began pacing in front of him, "You managed to get rid of the chip and you go and beat my friends, is that it?" She shook her head.

"A lot of people told me that you were like a serial killer in prison, well, I guess they were right." She crossed her arms around her chest. "And you attacked Xander, who is weaker than you, and you two worked together the summer I was gone." She turned around and saw his burnt home.

"I know you had something to do with Warren and his friends getting caught." She whispered, " I wanted to thank you. I mean, I don't condone stealing bodies and it was the worst way of getting them but you got them out of my life. I hoped that there was still hope for you." She sighed. 

"But it ends today, Spike," She said, "you're going down, because I can't trust you without the chip." She once again turned around, to where Spike was standing, but she found nothing. He had moved and she hadn't noticed. She looked around quickly and found him in the farthest, darkest corner of the lower level.

"You never trusted me, slayer." Spike finally spoke. And his tone was emotionless, colder than what she had ever heard before.

"You were never worth of my trust, Spike." Buffy said, uncomfortable because all she could see were the glowing golden eyes of the vampire.

"I know." He said, once again his voice devoid of any emotion.

"What?" Buffy asked, shocked by his answer.

"This is the deal, slayer, and listen well because I hate to repeat myself." He walked a bit towards her, but still remained a few feet away.

"Yes, I did get the chip out, and I'll soon be out of your life." Spike spat at her. "Now get the hell away from me."

"I can't go, Spike," Buffy said, "I can't let you out like that. You're a menace."

"I'll only be a menace to you if you don't get out." He said.

"Then it'll be this way, Spike." Buffy said, and sprang at him, trying to hit him in the face. Spike only retreated into the shadows, out of the range of Buffy's kick.

"Oh, so now you're running?" Buffy said, and threw a punch at him. Spike only ducked and paced around, like a caged tiger. Buffy was now finding this really strange. There were no comebacks? No angry remarks? No offenses thrown at her?

"What's the matter, Spike? Cat got your tongue?" Buffy once again tried to get something out of Spike's mouth, as she threw some kicks that Spike managed to block out. Still, he remained quiet, and made no attempt to attack her. She was now getting really angry and proceeded in her attack. She sent a savage punch into Spike's left cheek but opened her hand in order to reach for his forehead. Spike only jumped back, effectively moving out of her reach. Buffy ran at him and sent a kick to his midriff. He only blocked it and once again moved away from her. Her confusion and anger were taking their toll on the slayer's head and she snarled as she pressed her attack. She jumped, and roll-kicked in the air and sent some punches as she landed, making Spike move to the side, which placed him between Buffy and the wall. She grinned and expected some reaction by Spike. His face was still the same, no expression in it.

"I'm warning you, slayer." Spike growled, "Get the hell out." 

Buffy felt somewhat relieved that the vampire talked, but she couldn't let her objective slip from her hands. She was here to stake him. Then why was she suddenly wary of the vampire in front of her?

"Ah, so you decided to talk at all," Buffy said, trying to regain her anger, "told ya, I can't let you live, or unlive, whatever."

She took out her stake and gripped it hard. She remembered then that fighting with Spike had always been great. He was a great opponent and this vampire had hardly raised a hand to defend himself. She once again leapt at him with a kick and rolled around, with her arm extended, trying to get her left hand, or non-stake hand, to slam it wide open in the back of the vampire. Spike was supposed to fall for the fake kick and try to roll to the side, where Buffy's hand would receive him. But Spike didn't move. And not only did Buffy miss the kick but she also got her back wide open to the vampire. She recovered quickly and swirled forward, in order to kick Spike's face as she rolled forward. Once again, the move was useless, because Spike caught both her feet and shoved them aside. Buffy rolled with the impulse and stood up quickly. And yet, Spike was still rooted to his place. Now Buffy was beginning to worry. She was attacking him full-force and he was deflecting all her attacks. That was not good. It was not good with any vampire, and less with a chipless vampire who happened to have killed two slayers before. She decided a different approach, as she lunged forward and threw a right, which then she faked to throw a left. The plan was that when the left connected, she'd reuse the right and proceed to another attack. But her plan backfired when her right was caught before making the fake and her left eye soon saw stars. Courtesy of a well and quickly placed punch by Spike. 

She moved backwards and threw a kick with the same impulse provided by the punch. Once again, the kick found nothing, for Spike was already in the middle motion of kicking her support leg and sending her to the ground.

"I said get out." He repeated, getting up and walking to the stairs. Buffy got up quickly and raised her stake. Spike turned around and savagely kicked Buffy in the face. She had been so angry that she missed his quick motion. The kick stunned her and she managed to get hold of herself by supporting herself with the charred bed.

"Since you don't get it, slayer, let me explain it to you." Spike said, staring at her with his golden eyes, but with his human face on. She had never seen a vampire like that.

"You can't win this fight, slayer," Spike said, "and I don't want to fight with you." 

Buffy snarled and tried to reinitiate the fight once again. She punched Spike but he had been expecting the punch and as his head spun backwards from the impact, he lifted his arm and punched Buffy hard in the ribs. Having her momentum cut off, she missed her next attack. She moved away from him, expecting an attack but received nothing.

"Told ya, slayer, I won't fight." He stared at her, a deadly stare, "I know I'd win, so it's boring."

Boring? How dared him? She had now recovered her whole anger and was ready to stake him, not mattering that he had been her lover. Not mattering that he had helped her on numerous occasions. Not mattering that thanks to him she didn't have to worry about Warren and his band of misfits. 

She threw a strong kick, which he blocked. She tried to flip backwards in order to grab him from below his defenses but he leapt back, once again. However, when Buffy's arch ended a vampire's eyes greeted her and he grabbed the arm that held the stake, and twisted it painfully, making Buffy turn her back towards him. He pushed and placed his weight upon her and sent themselves running into the wall. He pushed a final time and with his free arm he drove Buffy's head into the wall. The impact was brutal, but she managed to stay conscious. Spike bent her arm a little more and kicked her knee, making her leg buckle. He kicked the calf of her other leg and her balance was lost. He grabbed the other arm and twisted it as well. He pushed forward, so that Buffy's weight was all placed in her head and neck, and since she was being pushed down as well, her legs were in a wrong angle whether to kick or to push her back up. She was at the mercy of the vampire.

"Get this, slayer," He said,  "you managed to win all the times because I always let my emotions get in the way. When I first fought you I was so immersed in the fight that I was enjoying it. You, on the other hand, were fighting for your life. Since I was having so much fun, I lost that battle. After that, I was angry when I fought you. My mind was not clear, so I failed miserably. After that, I had the soddin' chip in my head, and was unable to hurt you. And finally, I was so in love with you that I didn't want to hurt you."

He growled and twisted her arm a bit more. She managed to swallow her scream; she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of screaming.

"But now," he said, "now I'm free of any emotion towards you. Nothing is distracting me. And since I already managed to kill two slayers and have way much more experience than you, well, I guess that the results speak for themselves. I couldn't have done this two years ago, and guess who do I have to thank this for?"

Buffy snorted, and tried to move a bit. Her anger was getting the best of her.

"To the fact that your chip is gone?" She asked, barely controlling the rage in her voice.

"Wrong, slayer," Spike answered, "I have you to thank. You reminded me that I was a monster. A hell of a monster actually."

Buffy got confused at those words. He was thanking her for being able to defeat her?

"You're insane, Spike." She grunted.

"Oh, no, slayer, I'm not insane." He said, "This is what you always told me I was, remember? 'You're a monster, Spike', 'you're a soulles, evil thing', should I go on?" 

Buffy frowned at hearing that. Was he trying to turn this around and place it on her?

"I wasn't talking about..." 

"Oh, yes you were," Spike interrupted her, "that was the reason why you could never love me. And this is what you always believed me to be. Is it right, slayer? Do I live up to your expectations? Am I the horrible monster you told me I was?" He asked, and he shoved her aside, letting her go.

Buffy stumbled a bit, and knelt, rubbing her sore shoulder. Spike had almost shifted it out of place.

"What do you want, Spike? For me to tell you I'm sorry?" Buffy said, trying to get up.

Spike growled deeply and stared at the girl in front of him.

"No." He simply stated, "I don't want anything from you. Not anymore."

"Oh yeah? Then why did you hurt Xander and visited Willow?" Buffy asked, standing up with the help of the wall.

"The whelp had it coming, and I just wanted to talk to Willow," Spike answered, "not everything revolves around you, slayer."

Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You have been following me for the last two years, Spike, you won't leave me alone and you try to make me believe that it doesn't have to do with me?" Buffy rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand anything the vampire did.

"You want to know what I wanted, slayer?" Spike growled, " I wanted a very simple thing. I wanted you to love me half as much as I loved you. That is what I wanted."

"So you're telling me that you don't want that anymore? Right." Buffy snorted, "Like you didn't bring me a flower the other day."

Spike once again remained still. Very still.

"I used to want so much for you, slayer, but only one thing from you." He said, and walked back to his dark spot, where only his eyes glowed in the dark. "I wanted to receive the purest emotion you could give. I wanted the whole package. I got your sex but I never got your tenderness. I never received a smile from you. I never received a nice word. I never got your love."

Buffy made an attempt to talk, but the primal, animalistic growl that Spike uttered made her shut up.

"I wanted to think that maybe with time you'd believe that I loved you. That maybe one day my opinion would matter to you. But then came your all-so glorious morals and screwed up memories and you got yourself convinced that I could not love. You only saw me as a monster, and guess what? I see that now. I finally understood that I am a monster. That's why the chip had to go out. I couldn't be a monster without it."

Buffy was now completely motionless, hearing what was going on in the vampire's mind.

"So it did go out, with a little souvenir. A piece of my brain.  However, the lobotomy helped me see things more clearly.  Since I'm a monster I owe nothing to your friends. Naturally, I treated them the way they treated me. Now you know why your friend Xander is in the hospital but not dead. He didn't stake me when I lived with him." He paced a little bit inside the shadows. His eyes flickering according to the things he was feeling. "The girls treated me nicely, that's why I wouldn't hurt any of them. And I did promise to look after Dawn. Till the end of the world."

He snarled and stared ahead.

"Then it's you, slayer. The all-so righteous, perfect slayer, who was too good to even trust the thing that loved her so much. And then it hit me. I can still get what I want from you."

Buffy cringed internally. The vampire in front of her was neither William the Bloody nor chipped Spike. He was something entirely different.

"I can still receive the purest emotion from you. If I can't have your love, then I'll have your hate." Spike growled at her. "Now you know what I want. So sod off now."

He walked towards the tunnels and spoke without turning around.

"If I ever see you again, I'll have to kill you."

With that, the vampire disappeared into the dark tunnels. Buffy was seriously confused. She had come to kill him and he had practically wiped the floor with her. And the things he had said. The way he had behaved. Not at all like the Spike she knew.

She was unsure of what to do. And she didn't know where to go. But she knew that she had to get out of his crypt. He had said something about giving the Scoobies what they had given him. He'd go to each one of them. He had already visited Xander and Willow. She had to make sure that he wouldn't hurt Dawn or Tara.

She knew that chipped Spike would never hurt those two, but this was a new Spike.

She didn't know what this new personality would do.

And she was afraid.

End of Chapter.


	14. Joyce

**A/N.- This is chapter Fourteen of the ENOUGH series. **

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Joyce.

Buffy ran home. She had never seen Spike like that. Not even in his worst days as a master vampire. What he said and what he did was beyond her wildest ideas. He had become a grave danger and she would have to chase him down. Not caring what he had said about killing her if they ever crossed paths again.

She had to take some weapons. And yet, she was disturbed. Every word he said was confusing and it hurt her. How come he only wanted her hate?

She opened the door to her house and went to her weapons' chest. She was rummaging through it when she heard her sister coming down.

"What's up, Buffy?" Dawn asked. Buffy turned around and nervously smiled at her. 

"Nothing, Dawnie, go to sleep." 

Dawn frowned, seeing the weird look that was on her sister's face.

"That's not a 'nothing' face you're wearing, what's up?"

Buffy sighed, and since Spike had said that he wouldn't hurt any of her friends, (well, besides Xander) she'd take Dawn somewhere before hunting for the vampire. A place where she was always welcome and more importantly, a place that gave her peace.

"Get dressed, Dawn." Buffy said, "Let's go see mom."

However, she wasn't the only one with that idea.

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"Hi, mum," the bleached vampire said, "it's been a while."

He sat down in front of the grave and placed his hand on top of the gravestone. He read softly the words embedded in it and sighed.

"I wish you were still alive," he whispered, "I'd love to hear your voice again."

He lowered his head and his hand gripped even harder the bottle of whiskey that he had taken from Wily's before. He took a significant swig out of it and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his ever-present duster.

"I don't know if you're watchin' from heaven, mum, but I'd like to give you an explanation." He didn't raise his head while he spoke those words, as if he was avoiding her eyes.

"You probably know what has been going on," he softly said, "and I hope you understand a little bit of the things I've done."

He took another drink from his bottle and his other hand rummaged through the pockets of his duster. He produced out of one pocket a little white flower, the type that you can find on every backyard.

"I know it isn't much," he said as he placed the tiny flower on the grass, "but it's the thought that counts, innit?"

He stood still for a few moments, and then he sighed.

"I tried to love her, you know?" he whispered, "I tried to be something I thought she wanted me to be." He took even more of his drink, effectively numbing him even more. 

"I guess I wasn't enough," he bitterly said, "I have never been."

His eyes filled with some tears, and he quickly wiped them.

"I want to say that I'm sorry for the things I told to all of 'em." He said, "Well, I don't regret the things I did and said to that bloody wanker Harris." 

He chuckled a little bit at the memory of Xander's cries of pain.

"I know I shouldn't take pleasure in it, mum," he caressed the headstone and smiled, "I'm sorry."

He drank the last contains of his whiskey bottle and placed it in one of his pockets.

"I won't litter here, mum, don't worry." He took out his flask and began drinking some more.

"Now, where to start?"

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Some yards away, two girls were walking a little too hurriedly towards the cemetery. The short blond was holding the black leather coat that wrapped her body and the larger brunette was playing with the over sized sleeves of her dark-blue sweater.

"Why should we go at this time, Buffy?" Dawn asked.

Buffy took her time to answer the question. She remembered the bitter and angry words that had come out of Spike's mouth. The cold stare that he had in his emotional eyes, the golden spark giving away the fact that he was something different. He was no longer chipped Spike but he wasn't William the Bloody anymore. The things he had said to her and the things that he had done to her friends were weird. 

Buffy looked back at her sister and smiled weakly.

"I know, Dawn, but I felt like visiting mom tonight."

Dawn saw the sad smile in her sister's face, and understood a bit about it.

"So, you got a visit tonight, huh?" Dawn asked.

Buffy stopped and stared ahead. She was immensely hurt and she didn't know what to think or what to do about the things Spike had said and done. She only knew that she wanted and needed to be in a place where she felt safe.

"It wasn't much of a visit, actually, but we'll talk about that later, Dawn." Buffy said, and then something clicked in her. "He visited you?" Buffy asked, afraid of the things that the vampire could have told her sister.

"Yeah," Dawn answered, unaware of the apprehension that took over her sister. "He was very weird."

"That was all?" Buffy asked, "He didn't try to do anything to you?"

"Besides scaring me to hell and telling me the worst thing he could have told me?" Dawn answered, "Nope, he only wanted to talk to me."

Buffy nodded and quickened her pace to where her mother's grave was. Another turn to the left and behind some trees and they'd find their mother's grave. But as they came closer, they could hear something.

A voice. A British accent.

Spike.

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"... and that's how I framed those soddin' bastards." Spike said, laughing a little. His voice was drifting a bit, because of all the alcohol he had consumed in the last two hours. 

"Sorry f'r the language, mum," he blurrily said, "it's just been some bad days."

He drank the last remains of alcohol from his flask and closed it. Because of his drunken stupor, he didn't notice the smell of the two girls who approached from behind, stake in hands.

"It's funny, y'know?" he said, unaware of the danger approaching him, "you're the only woman who ever cared about me."

Both Buffy and Dawn heard this and stopped dead on their tracks. They had taken hearing ever since Spike finished his tale about his master plan against the geeks. They had taken the stakes out in order to fight should Spike be in a dangerous mood. But now, they were more curious about what he was saying instead of his mood.

"I lived for 27 years and no one loved me," he began sobbing a bit, the alcohol allowing his emotions to flow out, "well, me own mum must have loved me, but she was required to, me being her child and ev'rythin'." He leaned closer to the gravestone and placed his forehead in it.

"Then came the tale that I'm tired of relieving with that bint Cecily and the night that Dru turned me." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Then came the time of abuse with Angelus. I thought I'd be accepted there. Vampires and everything. No such luck." He chuckled once again, and his accent changed a little bit, also influenced from the alcohol.

"So much pain, mum, so much pain. Angelus was never pleased and Darla was a bloody bitch." He nodded suddenly. "Language, I know, sorry. Then I killed that first slayer and hoped for some acknowledgement from Angelus. Nothing. Dru praised me but then again, she's a few pints short of the keg." A single tear rolled down his cheek. " I spent the next century trying to make her happy. I couldn't love her fully because she's insane. Yes, I'll admit it now, but I also secretly hoped for her to love me as much as I loved her." He sniffled a little bit. "And then, your daughter..." He then remained silent for a long time. Buffy and Dawn were now kneeling behind a tree, listening to Spike, hoping to hear something to explain his erratic behavior.

"She's so pretty," Spike began, "She has this little smile that I've seen only once, and that was only because I was spying her. And you know whom it was directed to? Angelus. At the time I hated her, but felt jealous all the same. Nobody has ever smiled like that for me. And it seems that Angelus always came before me. With both women I've loved" He almost whispered the last part, and more tears followed. "At the time I shrugged it off, but the more I knew about your daughter the more she intrigued me. I know the shitty deal that life dealt her. I admired her even more because of her refusal to just yield. She just gets up every time she is down. And she is even stronger every time." He then moved his hands to both sides of the stone.

"But she also gets weaker in a way. I think she fears that the time will come when she won't want to get up. And I thought that maybe I could help her. But you saw how that came out. When I tried to get near her, she'd shut me out. I'd try to talk to her and her friends would make fun of me or insult me. When I was finally being tolerated she had to die on me. I failed her. Then was the summer when I worked with her mates, who seemed to finally stand me. I felt like part of something there." He smiled at the memory. "But then they had to screw everything up and take her out of heaven. She trusted in me for a while, but it wouldn't last. I tried to give her love, but it wasn't what she wanted. She only wanted to take her mind out of Heaven. She used me and never loved me." More tears rolled down, and he was now practically hugging the stone.

"I tried to convince m'self that she despised me because I tried to hurt her so many times before. I tried to see through her eyes and change what she thought was wrong. I know I was a jerk with her but..." He trailed off and shuddered a little.

"...I don't know how to behave with girls, mum. I never had any experience. My only girlfriend was a dead psychopath. I would have liked to be a gentleman with her. But she wouldn't have any of that. I know that now. She said I was beneath her and I know I am."

Buffy winced a little bit at the renewal of that wound. It seemed that the particular phrase had a deep impact in the vampire.

"She never treated me differently. I tried to be her enemy, the big bad, and she despised me. I became a soddin' pity case and she laughed at me. I tried to help them and she rejected me. I fell in love with her and she shut me out. I gave my best as her friend and she used me. I loved her with all my dead heart and she despised me, she laughed at me, she used me and she shut me out." The tears were now staining the cold stone.

"Why is it that every woman I love have to either go or hate me?" he asked in a soft voice. "I loved Dru and she left, I loved you and you died, I love Dawn and now I have to leave her. I loved Cecily and she laughed at my love and me. I love Buffy and I'm nothing to her."

Dawn stared at her sister, who in turn stared back at her. They knew some things about Spike but they didn't know the amount of emotional damage that was stored inside of him.

"I told her that I knew that she'd never love me. But it's different saying it than actually knowing it. I hope you never felt something like that, mum. I had that bloody revelation a few days ago. She had never loved me and she would never love me. Once again I saw that my love is worthless. No one will have it. I wasn't meant to be loved, mum. Only two women have loved me, and one is dead and the other one almost died a year ago. You and Dawn, mum, you and her. You paid the price for being the only ones who ever showed me something other that hate and repulsion."

He moved his left hand and produced out of the pocket nearest to his heart a crumbled photograph. It was all bent and a little burnt in the edges. His greatest possession in the whole world. The single object that was in his metal box.

"There used to be three faces in this picture, mum. You, the nibblet, and Bu..., the slayer."

Buffy felt something odd when he refused to say her name, as he had done all through their earlier conversation. And yet, she managed to see the picture crumpled in Spike's hand. It was one that was taken a few years ago, when they were on the beach. She had been happy that day and it showed in the picture. The three of them had a huge smile on their faces when the picture had been taken.

"I thought that this thing represented the people who cared about me. Sometimes I imagined that maybe that smile was directed at me. That maybe the three of you saw me as what I wanted to be for you. I cherished every part of this photograph. But I had to cut out a third of it" 

Spike sighed and tucked away the photograph, once again close to his heart. He straightened up and wiped his tears. 

"I wanted to make her happy. I wanted to give her the stupid things that the others didn't give to 'er." A soft whimper escaped his throat. "I thought that maybe my bloody awful poetry would make her smile. I thought that a single rose would mean something to her. I thought that one of her soft smiles was worth dying for. But what is a detail when it comes from a monster, right? What is a flower worth when it's from a dead man? What is love when it comes from me...?"

He cleared his throat and wiped more tears from his eyes. 

"I won't do anything to her, mum. I'm a monster who's worth shit but I know my love is real. I love Dawn and I love you. I'll always love you." He stood up and looked proudly at the grave.

"But hear me now, mum, I won't cry again. Ever. And you know that my ever means forever. I'm done with crying. I'm done with the soddin' existence that has been given to me. I'm leaving and I won't come back. I know I will never see you again. You're in heaven and my place to rest is hell. I once had the stupid dream that maybe I'd earn some sort of redemption and the slayer would love me and I'd get the chance to see you again. Stupid dreams. Most people don't know their fates, but I know mine. A hell on earth and a hell after I'm dust."

His face changed then, when a smirk replaced the grieving face.

"I won't wallow in self-pity anymore, mum. Never again.  I will be strong and you'll always be in my heart. I used to think that I'd have the face of the slayer to help me throughout eternity in hell. I was wrong. It'll be your sweet voice and your smile that will always be with me. After all, you did care for me. Goodbye, Joyce Summers. Farewell, mum."

The vampire placed a gentle kiss on top of the gravestone, and began walking away.

Buffy and Dawn were numb after hearing the things that Spike had told to their mother. They could fathom that he felt more than many vampires, but they never saw the pain that was inside the bleached vampire.

Buffy's eyes never left the back of the vampire. She didn't know what to do. An hour ago, he had been so mean and cruel. He had hurt her emotionally and physically. And now she felt that her pain was nothing compared to the pain she had inflicted on Spike. A lot of doubts ran through her head. A lot of questions and some other things that she didn't know what to think about. She was taken out of her slumber when her sister got to her feet and attempted to follow Spike.

"Don't!" Buffy said, as she wrapped her hand around Dawn's wrist.

"Let me go, Buffy!" Dawn shrieked, " He's so hurt and I want to talk to him!" 

Buffy could see that her sister was looking odd at her, and she wondered if Dawn was angry with her.

"I want to talk to him also," Buffy said, "But he's been behaving so strange and I don't know if we should disturb him now."

Dawn seemed to agree with her sister, and stood still.

"Fine," she said, "but tomorrow we'll fix all this mess, ok?"

Buffy smiled sadly, and nodded.

"Sure, Dawnie, tomorrow we'll fix this."

End of Chapter.


	15. Home Sweet Home

**A/N.- This is chapter Fifteen of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Home, Sweet Home.

Buffy and Dawn headed home after they had witnessed the final breakdown of the vampire. They had found a very disturbed Tara in the porch, having wakened up and found no one in the house. Once inside, the three girls discussed what could be going on with Spike. Buffy told them what Spike had said to her and that tiny detail that he had been slightly lobotomized. They agreed that it could be the reason why he was behaving so strangely. And yet, they also agreed that the way they had all treated him could have had something to do with his reaction.

Then, they came to some interesting conclusions.

"What will you do to him, Buffy?" Tara asked. Buffy fidgeted a bit and looked at her sister, whose eyes clearly pleaded for mercy.

"I won't kill him," Buffy answered, and both Tara and Dawn smiled at that, "but I have to look after him. After all, he's still a vampire."

"Yes," Tara said, "maybe with a little help he'll finally manage to stop the blood thirst and proving that even without a soul he can be good."

"I know he can," Dawn said, "but he needs to be here, which leads us to the next problem. He wants to leave Sunnydale, how can we stop him?"

They thought about it for a while. He had said goodbye to Dawn and Tara, in a very civilized way. But with Buffy it had been a tad more violent. 

"I can't approach him so suddenly," Buffy said, "he'll go wild on me and he won't let me explain."

"Maybe if I go with you?" Dawn asked. Buffy thought about it. Spike would never harm Dawn in any way. She was sure about that.

"It's an idea, Dawn," Buffy said, smiling, "tomorrow morning we'll go and search for him."

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Spike shook hands with Clem, as he finished loading his stuff into his motorcycle.

"So, you won't be coming back?" Clem asked shyly at his vampire friend.

"Nope," Spike said, "I had already told you that."

"And it's necessary what you'll do?" The smiling demon asked. Spike didn't look at him; he only stared ahead.

"Yes," he answered, "Sorry."

"No prob, man." Clem answered. "If they should come looking for you...?" He tried to ask.

Spike looked at him.

"Tell them the truth," Spike said, "that I said goodbye and that I'll never come back."

Spike then placed on his helmet, waved goodbye at the demon, and began his travel.

Clem stood there waving his hand until the taillights of the motorcycle died in the distance.

------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Buffy had allowed Dawn to skip the last two classes in order to go as soon as possible to Spike's crypt. She wanted to have a relaxed talk and she knew that she had to do it on daylight. If not, he could run away into the night and she'd miss him completely. In fact, she'd have to cut his access to the tunnels if she wanted to close any root of escape. However, she felt as if he wasn't the one who'd need an escape root. 

Both sisters were somewhat happy about the fact that they'd be able to offer a solution for the vampire's dilemma. And they were certain about the fact that they didn't want him to go away. They were so immersed in their talk that the loud noise took them off balance and made them fall to the ground. They had been a block away from the cemetery and the noise had been that of an explosion. They ran and found the last thing they had expected to find. Spike's crypt was no more. 

It had been blown off the ground.

-------------------------------------------------------

A few blocks away, Clem was walking hurriedly, covered with a long overcoat and a hat. He had in his hands a small remote control, which he had used to fulfill the vampire's request. He had been against the idea but since Spike had been so weird, he decided to go along with it. Yet, he didn't understand why those places and objects had to be blown away. The crypt was a perfectly inhabitable spot and now it was gone. And he was so confused about why the vampire wanted that abandoned building blown up as well.

------------------------------------------------------

Buffy dropped on her knees. What had happened here? A few hours ago she had been on the crypt, arguing with Spike, on the lower level, fighting with him. Now there was nothing. The explosion had leveled the whole structure and then it collapsed into the lower level. Everything that was Spike's home was now a smoking crater in the middle of the graveyard. Soon, a lot of curious bystanders gathered around and began asking questions. Both Buffy and Dawn were shocked. And they didn't want to think about the possibility of Spike being trapped in the explosion. 

Then they heard yet another explosion. They all turned around and saw the wave of smoke rising into the air. A building had been destroyed this time. Buffy took Dawn's hand and began running to where the smoke originated. When they were a few yards away, Buffy stopped and saw what building had been destroyed. Her face fell and she looked at Dawn. 

"What is it, Buffy?" Dawn asked, "It was only an abandoned building, what's the fuss about it? In case you didn't notice, Spike's house is a smoking crater back there!" 

Dawn's voice was threatening to break down. Two explosions in one day, and one of the places destroyed was the house of her friend.

Buffy knew what the destruction of that building meant. Inside that building was where she and Spike had sex for the first time. His crypt, and now this building. What was going on? 

The firefighters arrived and tried to suffocate the fire that had appeared after the explosion. Dawn kept asking things to Buffy but she was so confused and was trying to think about what this meant. 

And then something came to her mind. What if it was Spike who was destroying those places? What if Spike was trying to physically erase what he and Buffy had done? Then it meant that the Doublemeat Palace and the Bronze were in danger as well. She once again ran and dragged her sister behind her. Dawn was screaming something but Buffy was slightly more concerned about what could happen if the Doublemeat Palace exploded at that time of the day. They arrived and noticed that the place was still standing. Buffy doubled and went to the back, where she and Spike had been that night. She found no explosives but there was a big, red "X" sprayed with what seemed to be blood in the exact same spot in which their passion took place. Buffy then knew that it was Spike who was doing such things. And she was sure that if she ran to the Bronze she'd find a similar mark in the upper floor. She sighed and her throat closed a bit. Spike was destroying or tarnishing the places where they had been together. 

"Now could you tell me what is going on?" Dawn said, panting because of the long run.

Buffy didn't know how to tell the story to her sister. If Dawn knew about their affair, then she'd surely blame Buffy for Spike's behavior. In a way, it was her doing. Spike went to the extremes when it concerned Buffy. And this time was no different.

"Dawnie, I..." Buffy was about to confess when someone interrupted her.

"Buffy?"

She turned around, and saw Clem with his hat and his coat wrapped around him. She silently thanked God for getting her out of explaining things to her sister.

"Hi, Clem, what's up?" She asked, but she also noticed that Dawn was still thinking that she was keeping something from her. Buffy was still not off the hook.

"Well, I was not supposed to meet you, but hey, you caught me."

Buffy smiled at him.

"So, what you doing?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing, guess I'll also have to look for another place to live." Clem said, shrugging.

"Oh," Buffy said, "you saw what happened to the crypt." Buffy stated.

Clem seemed nervous and fidgeted a little.  He then opened his right fist and she saw the remote control. Buffy and Dawn frowned and looked at Clem.

"He told me to do it." He softly said. Dawn and Buffy were shocked and once again stared at the remote control.

"But, why?" Dawn asked.  

Clem smiled sadly.

"He wanted to destroy those places. He said that they kept awful memories." Buffy winced internally but remained still. "He also wanted to burn the Doublemeat Palace and the Bronze, but he assumed that there'd be a lot of people in there."

"Where is he, then?" Buffy asked. She really wanted to talk to him right now.

Clem looked down. Dawn and Buffy noticed this and walked near to him.

"Tell us, Clem, where is he?" Buffy repeated the question. He then looked up and stared at them.

"He left town last night."

The news shocked the two girls deeply. Dawn just exploded and turned at her sister.

"I told you we should have talked to him yesterday!!" Dawn shrieked, "And now he's gone and I don't know if I'll ever see him again!!"

Buffy didn't know what to tell her sister. A look of panic took over her face and she had to ask Clem about it.

"Where did he go, Clem?" She asked, her voice on the brink of cracking.

"I don't know," Clem sadly answered, "he wouldn't tell me."

That was it. Spike had left. Buffy then shut herself and heard nothing more. She just looked around and saw Clem trying to say something comforting to Dawn, who was now crying. She stared at the big "X" sprayed on the wall, and then she stared at her hands. Those hands that had hurt Spike. But then she realized that she hurt him more with her words than with her body.

And yet another man in her life had left, and this time it was her fault.

--------------------------------------------------------

The road had been uneventful. He kept replaying in his mind the things he had done in the past 48 hours. Getting rid of the chip. Stealing bodies from the morgue. Blaming it on the geeks that troubled the slayer. Stealing the explosives and placing them strategically. Leaving town.

 Spike arrived at L.A. in no time and he proceeded to do what he had planned. He sold the motorcycle and headed to the airport. He bought a ticket out of there. He wanted to leave California and never return. He hopped in the plane and tried to sleep a bit. It'd be a long trip. He'd have to make scales but he assumed that he'd be home in a day or so.

He'd finally return home.

He wondered how changed England would be.

End of Chapter.


	16. Giles

**A/N.- This is chapter Sixteen of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Giles.

"So, how's he doing?" Giles asked, the girl on the other side of the phone sighed a bit.

"He's fine, Giles," Buffy answered, "He has his jaw and a few ribs broken, aside from that and the beating he's fine."

"And you're telling me that Spike did it." Giles stated, feeling a bit of anger and anxiety. The thought of Spike being able to hurt a human again was to say the least frightening. 

"Yes, before he left." Buffy softly said. Giles noticed something in the words that were being uttered by Buffy. He tried not to think about it, but it seemed that the slayer missed the vampire.

"He left town in that condition?" Giles asked, trying not to give an accusatory tone to his words.

"Yes, Giles," Buffy said, "I couldn't stop him."

Giles doubted about the last statement. She couldn't or she wouldn't?

"What do you mean about that?" He asked. He heard as Buffy sighed.

"We fought, Giles." Buffy said, "And I couldn't defeat him."

Giles heard the phrase and another wave of apprehension washed upon him. He knew that Spike was an excellent fighter, but he always took great pride that Buffy was an even better fighter.

"How come, Buffy?" He finally asked.

"He seemed to have lost the interest in the fight," Buffy said, almost distant, " he fought not to entertain himself, but to win."

The Englishman took the words and understood. Spike had killed two slayers before, and they weren't lightweights. The slayers the vampire had killed were efficient machines, not like Buffy, who more than once allowed her emotions to lead her in the fight. Spike was not like any other vampire. 

"Did he hurt you, Buffy?" Giles asked.

"Not physically." She whispered. Giles did not like the way Buffy sounded over the phone. It seemed that she was sad because the vampire had left. Not worried because one of the most savage vampires the world ever knew was once again free to unleash his fury.

"What should we do, Giles?" Buffy asked, "He might be anywhere in the world."

"I don't know, Buffy," He answered, "according to the data the council has on Spike he could disappear into thin air for long extensions of time."

Buffy made a sound that almost seemed like a whimper. Giles chose to ignore it and continued. 

"In fact, most of the records we have on him rely solely on sightings of Drusilla, not of him." He adjusted his glasses and walked with the cordless phone in order to reach for his bottle of whiskey.

"Most records are separated by four to six years, that's why he was so feared. In that time he could slaughter and create mayhem undercover."

Buffy was now completely silent. Giles noticed the sagged breaths that were audible through the phone.

"Are you all right, Buffy?" He asked. Buffy puffed in some air and answered quickly.

"I'm fine, Giles, please continue."

Giles nodded silently, not caring that she wasn't there to see him.

"Very well, he had been elusive of us up until that time in Prague..."

"Where Drusilla was injured." Buffy interrupted. 

"Yes, and before that, his previous record had been in Spain, in 1991, where he and Drusilla hunted for some time."

Once again, Buffy was silent. Giles decided to confide in her about some loopholes that were evident concerning Spike.

"And yet, there are some things that were never consistent with the view we have of Spike."

Buffy immediately reacted to the news.

"What?" She asked.

Giles cleared his throat, clearly disturbed by the ideas that the loopholes implied.

"The reason why Spike was so difficult to trace was that he wasn't as brutal as he was when he was with Angelus and Darla."

Buffy was once again slightly confused. What was Giles trying to tell her?

"It's not that he wasn't a vampire like the others," Giles said, "but he was never really as notorious as Angelus and Darla were."

"What do you mean 'notorious'?" Buffy asked.

"It seems that when he and Drusilla parted ways from Angelus and Darla he calmed down a bit. No more burnt villages or entire boats filled with dead people."

"They did that?" Buffy wearily asked.

"And worse, Buffy," Giles answered, "that is why I was never really comfortable with Spike in the same room as we were."

"But you were saying that he calmed down." She said.

"It's a theory," he noted, "he still killed and hunted but not as violently as he had done before. Sure, there were the occasional massacres but witnesses always referred to the black death."

"The plague?" Buffy asked.

"Drusilla." Giles answered.

"Oh." 

"It was always implied that Spike had been along with Drusilla, seeing that they were together at the time."

"But?" Buffy asked.

"There were times when survivors never referred to Spike." Giles honestly answered.

"You're trying to tell me that Spike was never as bloodthirsty as the other three were?" Buffy asked, completely surprised that Giles had never told her about such incidents.

"Don't get this wrong, Buffy, Spike is a violent killer," Giles noted, trying to regain the conversation, "he was sired in the 1880's for what we know and what he had said, meaning that he has been a vampire for 120 years. Let's think that he only killed one human for day, meaning that in the first year he killed 365 humans. The tenth year he had killed 3,650 humans. By his hundredth year as a vampire, he had killed 36, 500 humans, and that's assuming that he killed only one human by day."

Buffy sighed. She hated when she was reminded of the things that Spike had done in his past.

"And it is highly doubtable that he only killed one human a day, having Angelus, Darla and Drusilla as his guides." Giles finished.

Buffy was certain that it hadn't been only 36,500 humans he had killed, but he had also been killing vampires and demons, thus saving lives that were potentially on danger.

"Let's not talk about his past, Giles." She said, "I know what he did but I also know that he tried to help us, and we spat on his face when he tried. Now he's free of the chip and hasn't killed anyone, not even Xander or me, who hurt him the most."

"I know, Buffy, but..."

"No, Giles, let me finish," Buffy interrupted, "He has tried to be good and we only noticed him as a murderer, when in fact I don't remember who was the last human he killed. Something I can't tell about Darla, Drusilla, Angel or even Faith."

Giles was slowly processing everything, and sadly, it was true.

"So I want your help to find him, and help him get back on the good way."

"You think he might want to be back in the good road?" Giles asked.

"It's what he has been doing for the last year and a half, Giles," Buffy said, "and now when we could be helping him when he doesn't have the chip, he's on the road were he could go back to killing."

"I hope you're right, Buffy." Giles said, rubbing his head, "But it'll be very hard to find him. The world's a very big place."

"Knowing Spike he'll go back to Europe," Buffy said, "and in the set of mind he's on, I can bet that he'll be there by now."

"What state of mind, Buffy?" Giles asked, curiously.

"Um, when the chip came out, it took a piece of his brain with it." Buffy answered.

"You're telling me that not only is the chip out but he's been lobotomized?" Giles almost shouted.

"His mood changed a bit, but he was still him." Buffy stated, noticing the rise on Giles' voice.

"I don't like this, Buffy." Giles said.

"I know, Giles, but if I couldn't stop him, what are the odds of somebody else doing it?" She said.

Giles remained quiet and weighed her words. It was true. Spike had bested the slayer, making him virtually unstoppable in human and vampiric standards. And since he had some bad experiences with magic, he gave up on the idea of trying to stop Spike.

"I don't like the sound of it, but you're right." Giles finally agreed, "If he's so strong then it'd be better if he's on our side."

"Thanks, Giles," Buffy said; "call me if you find out anything?"

"Sure, Buffy, I'm glad you called." Giles answered.

"Ok, love you, bye." Buffy said.

"Love you too, bye." Giles hung up and stood there for a while, completely silent. The news were not good, but since Spike refused to kill Xander, then there was hope. He had secretly feared this day, because they all haunted the vampire and mocked him. Giles was aware of Spike's great pride but he also saw that the vampire was easily hurt. He was grateful that the vampire had not given in and killed Xander and Buffy. It was really a breakthrough if a vampire refused to kill. And with a vampire like Spike, it was even weirder. He didn't work for the council anymore, but he'd find a way to research more about the vampire.

----------------------------------------------

Three days had gone by and he had found no helpful information in his books. He knew that he'd have to either contact Wesley and ask for his help or he'd have to return to the council. He had also talked to some of his contacts of the demon world, hoping to hear something from the bleached vampire. 

This night, however, he was going to meet one of such contacts that claimed to have some information concerning his quarry. Once he arrived on the pub he was surprised by how crowded it was. Certainly, he had tried to avoid such incidents, since he had to be very careful for the pub was run by and frequently attended by demons. He searched over for his contact, a human very much alike to Wily, but found no one. He settled in a nearby table and ordered a glass of scotch. He drank a few and sighed when he noticed that he had been tricked and was now on his own on a pub filled with demons. He quickly exited the place and hurried home. He was certainly feeling relaxed as his home appeared on his sight, but his relaxation faded away when he felt someone behind him. He didn't need to be a watcher or a trained man in order to realize who it was. Without turning around, he greeted his stalker.

"Took you some time, huh Spike?" Giles said.

"Had to take care of some business, Rupes." Spike answered, with a cigarette dangling in his mouth.

"I need to know something." Giles said, as he turned around. There was the vampire, just the same as he had seen him, but there was something definitively different about him. "Have you really decided to not kill anymore?" Giles asked.

"The slayer is quite communicative," Spike said, "and she gives the wrong information."

Giles took a few steps back, and Spike walked towards him.

"It seems then, that we have a misunderstanding." Giles said, hoping to be able to outrun Spike and get inside his home, where he should be safe.

"A slight one," Spike said, "but not in the meaning that I'll return to killing indiscriminately."

Giles then decided to give the vampire the benefit of doubt.

"How come?" Giles asked.

"I'm a vampire," Spike stated, "it's in my nature to be a killer. I just won't kill randomly anymore."

"Then what should stop me from staking you?" Giles asked, in his most threatening tone.

"Mostly? Me." The vampire answered, throwing away his half finished cigarette. Giles was thrown aback by the sudden statement. His bravado faded quickly and a little fear took its place.

"That's why you're here? To kill me?" Giles asked, putting up his brave face again.

"What is it with all of you?" Spike growled, "You thought so low of me that you thought that as soon as I took this thing out I'd kill you all?"

"You did beat Xander." Giles said.

"The idiot had it coming," Spike said, "be thankful that I didn't kill him."

"Very well, if you're not here to kill me," Giles said, "then why are you here?"

"I wasn't looking for you, actually," Spike said, "I was just going around England, walking away from London."

"Not very convincing." Giles said.

"Let me bloody well finish, eh mate?" Spike growled. Giles decided to shut up and nod.

"I was here on my way south, and I heard this bloke talking about an old man interested in vampires." Spike took another cigarette up and placed it on his lips, without lighting it. "An' I thought, an old man thinking about vampires, certainly someone worth talking to, so I followed this bloke, who turned to be not so very human."

He then lighted up his cigarette.

"Turned out to be a snitch, who was going to kill the old man with glasses this night." Spike said, taking a drag. "Trying to find out more about this, I followed some more and then I saw you enter the pub, it didn't take a genius to figure what was going to happen."

Giles was certainly trying to figure out what had happened. Had Spike saved him from an assassination attempt? Had the vampire been helpful without the chip? Without Buffy's influence?

"Stop staring, Rupes." Spike said. Giles snapped out of his stupor and once again tried to figure out Spike's reasons.

"Did you kill the snitch?" Giles asked.

"Do dogs bark?" Spike answered. Giles wasn't very pleased but it seemed that he owed his life to the vampire. And he had his suspicions about his contact not being human at all.

"Then tell me, Spike, what were your real motifs?" Giles asked.

"Information." Spike replied.

"What kind of information?" Giles asked, suspicious of the vampire.

"Some information that you can give me as well." Spike answered.

Giles frowned, was it magic that Spike wanted? Something of the occult? History of the slayers? Or was it something about Buffy?

"Does it concern Buffy?" Giles asked.

"In a way, yes." Spike nodded.

"Well, you certainly have not changed." Giles now growled.

"You soddin' people think that my life is about the slayer," Spike said, very calmly, "but my life really revolves around Dawn. That's why I need this information."

Giles was tired of the talk by now.

"Ok, tell me and let's end this." Giles said.

"First answer me something." Spike said, "Do you love the slayer and Dawn?"

Giles was shocked by the question. How dared Spike to doubt his love for the two girls?

"You know I do." Giles hissed. Spike smirked a bit, not at all like his old smirk.

"Very well," the vampire said, "then tell me all you know about the council."

End of Chapter.


	17. The Year of the Predator

**A/N.- This is chapter Seventeen of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed. Sorry for taking so long in updating. My computer crashed and I had a tough time trying to fix it. A small advice to all of you out there, ALWAYS create startup disks. You can make them by going to your Control Panel, access Add/Remove Programs and there you will find how to make a startup disk. Of course, this is to those of you who use PC's or Windows. Now, enough talking and on with the story.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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The Year of the Predator

"So no news on the mother land?" Buffy asked. On the other side of the ocean, on a small but nicely decorated pad, an Englishman adjusted his lenses and bit his tongue once again. Hard. He had been lying to Buffy for a year now, and he was tired of it.

"Nothing new, Buffy," Giles lied, "It seems that the earth itself swallowed our blood sucking friend."

It was really a big lie, because Giles had seen Spike almost every day in the first months since the vampire had left Sunnydale and America, and most importantly, Buffy.

"You were right, huh?" Buffy asked.

"About what, Buffy?" Giles now asked.

"That he could dissappear," she softly said, "I guess it's time for us to stop looking and wait until he decides to show up."

"At least there has been no mayhem or destruction." Giles said, trying to reassure Buffy. In the twelve months that the vampire had been gone from the slayer's life, the ex-watcher had been having his doubts about Buffy'r real intentions. He had asked her about it some time before but she always answered that a chipless vampire roaming the world was her main concern.

"That's no relief, Giles," Buffy said, bringing the man back into the conversation, "he doesn't need chaos or mayhem to kill."

Giles sighed, the girl really was stubborn.

"After all we've talked, you still believe that he will return to his old ways?" He asked.

"I'm surprised, Giles, are you speaking on behalf of Spike?" Buffy teased.

"Good heavens, no," Giles immediately corrected, "it's just that if he'd turn into a murdering maniac, we would have already  heard something from him."

"You're right," Buffy sighed, "I guess it's time to tell Dawn that her old buddy will not be coming back."

"She's still holding his promise of writing?" Giles asked. After all his improptu sessions with Spike, he had noticed that Spike was trying his best to get away from Buffy and the memories that came with that thought. Probably Dawn was the farthest thing on the vampire's mind.

"Yeah," Buffy answered, "every day she checks the mail. I've seen her and I know that it bothers her that he hasn't written yet. Like he ever will."

"Spike was always very protective of Dawn," Giles said, remembering the summer he worked with the vampire, "I guess there are some things that are preventing him from writing."

"Well, I won't  hold my breath until he does," Buffy said, "I have to go now, Giles, work, you know?"

"Yes, Buffy," Giles said, smiling, "take care, and thanks for calling."

"No prob, call me if anything happens?" Buffy asked.

"You know I will." Giles answered, understanding the meaning  of her question.

"Ok, thanks," She said, "love you."

"Love you too, bye."

Giles heard the click and the conversation ended. He slowly placed the phone back in its place and took off his glasses. His telltale sign that something was bothering him. Besides all the problems he had, all the support  he gave his 'children' in Sunnydale, and his own personal issues, he was now lying to the girl he loved as his own daughter. He knew about Spike, and he had talked to the vampire, almost on a friendly status. But that had been seven months ago. Spike had been curious to know everything there was about the Council of Watchers. Everything that Giles could tell him. The ex-watcher had been cautious at the beginning, but after Spike reassured him that he wasn't planning on a murderous rampage, the watcher helped him.

Seven months ago.

And Giles feared what Spike might try to do.

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One year since he left.

Eleven months planning.

Ten months convincing himself that it was a stupid idea.

Nine months of having quit drinking and smoking.

Eight months training.

Seven months trying to obtain everything he needed.

Six months and he still couldn't place his tie correctly. 

Five months of thanking whomever handled the weather for the cloudy days in London.

Four months of keeping tabs and a schedule.

Three months of working on an alibi.

Two months of hunting.

One month of eternal waiting.

But today was the day.

Today was the day for which he had been preparing. He had everything on place and all the loose ends were tied. Of course, the only variable quantity was the weather. Should today be a sunny day then he'd have to reschedule, and given his restless nature, he'd probably go nuts and the whole plan would be a waste of time. 

He began his day the same way he had for the past five months. Wake up at six in the morning. Morning! A vampire waking up with the sun! All part of his plan. He showered and shaved. But not completely, he had grown a mustache and a beard. The americans called it a goatee. He had let his hair return to its natural color. Appereances had to be kept if he wanted his plan to work. Once again, as usual, he had trouble tying up the goddamned rope he used around his neck everyday. He adjusted his three-piece suit and double checked that he had everything in place.  He gave one last look at the small apartment that had been his house for the past seven months. Actually it was quite empty. Only a small refrigerator and a bed. He needed nothing else and wanted nothing more. His mind was really now focused on his plan. He took out the photo and stared at it. Dawn. It was all for her. 

He hid the photo and walked to the sink. In there were a lot of papers and some notebooks. He took out his old silver lighter and burned all the papers. There would be no evidence of his actions.

He walked outside and smiled a bit when he saw that it'd be a rainy day. No sun today. His apartment wasn't far away from where he worked. He walked to work everyday. 545 pases. Most people knew him by now, and greeted him everyday.

Today was no exception. As soon as he stepped out of his building he was greeted by the young lad who sold him the newspaper everyday.

"Morning, Mr. Kipling!" the young boy said, "looks like it'll be a rainy day today!"

"I know, mate," Spike answered, "any good news today?"

"Don't think so," the boy said, handing Spike the paper, "off to work?"

"Yup," Spike said, "just as everyday."

Spike paid the paper and walked away. He was now used to people calling him 'Mr. Kipling'. He had aqcuired the name from a book he read once. Kenneth Kipling. That was the name he gave when he applied for the job of research assistant five and a half months ago. Five months working on a boring, small library on downtown London. But not anymore. Not as of today. He had gathered all his information and he was ready for the plan to take action.

He looked at his watch. 7:35 am. Just as usual. He was always on time and that was essential on his plan. Most people was used to watch him walk around. That was his alibi. He wasn't a stranger on a strange place. He was a part of this place now.

At 432 pases, he altered his daily rutine. He walked away from the path that led him to his job. He was now changing the rutine. He walked now towards an old and enormous building located a few blocks away from his work place. He had seen the same building a hundred years ago and he never thought that a century later, he'd be walking head on into it.

He smiled a bit and gathered his nerve.

7:40 am.

Time to go for it.

Jump into the proverbial wolf's lair.

A vampire was about to enter the Council's headquarters.

End Of Chapter.


	18. The Council

**A/N.- This is chapter Eighteen of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed. One thing, this will be a long chapter since I had already written it but it was destroyed when my computer crashed. This is a kinda new and improved chapter. Hang in there with me, please.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish. Ok, now I will take the time to thank all of you who have reviewed. These people have been nice enough to write a review. Thank you. It really helps someone who is writing his ideas.Of course, I'll use the names that appear on the reviews.**

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Thank you all for writing a review or an email.

On with the story.

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The Council

He stood before the enormous buidling. Had he been a fledgling he would have run, scared of the magics that were felt coming from the insides of the structure. But he was not a fledgling and there were very few things that he was afraid of.

An ancient building and a bunch of watchers were not one of them.

He had to pretend, of course. The whole plan depended on pretentions. So he 'pretended' to be a customer looking at the library that was probably the cover of the Council. What better way to have their books on the open and keeping a secret as well. Now he had to wait for his opening. He felt the small object that was on his pants' pocket. It was still there. That was his passport to his plan. Now all he had to do was wait.

He didn't have to wait for long, for his prey soon appeared. A group of men, all dressed exactly as he remeber Giles did in the early days. They were perfect. Four old men. He continued his pretense of being an interested client and walked in at the same moment that the four men did. He timed his move perfectly, and as soon as he stepped through the threshold he bumped into one of the old men, and squished at the same time the package he had in his pocket.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir," Spike said, as he fixed his clothes. The old man just looked back and smiled.

"Not a problem, young man."

Spike smiled a bit. His plan worked out perfectly. He was inside the building. On with the next phase. He had at least two or three hours. Carefully keeping appereances, there was a librarian. A woman. A pretty woman actually, on her early thirties, by the look of it. A watcher probably. Her hair was dark brown, and it was tied on a tight bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were dark green. She was wearing one of those dresses that he thought were standard in all of watcher's fashion.

He approached her and smiled at her.

"Good morning, could you help me?" Spike asked the woman. She looked up and smiled as well.

"Yes, sir, what can I do for you?" She replied.

"I called yesterday, I'm looking for Ms. Grisham." Spike said.

"Well, you found her." The woman said, still smiling. Spike grinned even more. Things were working out smoothly.

"Oh, allow me to introduce myself," Spike said, and extended his hand, "I'm Kenneth Kipling."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Kipling," the woman said, and shook hands with Spike, "we did talk yesterday, you called about a book right?"

"Yes," Spike answered, "you told me you did have it."

"Of course," Ms. Grisham said, and she stood up, "please follow me, it's on an upper level."

Spike nodded and followed her. After climbing the stairs, they arrived on the third level. An eventuality that Spike hadn't predicted. Should he need to escape, a third floor was not a good thing. He didn't allow that to distract him and he instead began looking for escape roots. The woman stopped and looked at him.

"It was Principles of Ancient Symerian, wasn't it?" She asked.

"Yes," Spike nodded, "I need it to translate a certain reference I found in a book."

"All right, just wait a second." The woman walked around a huge structure and began looking for the book. Spike waited patiently and after a few minutes the woman walked back carrying an old and tattered book.

"It's an old book so I won't be able to lend it to you," she said, "but you can always look at it here, in one of or research tables."

"I'd prefer a more private space, if you may." Spike said. The woman smiled at him, and so did he. She just nodded and motioned for him to follow her.

"We have some private rooms a floor below," she said, " that is allright with you?"

"Yes, thank you." Spike said. They walked down the stairs and headed to said private rooms. After some time, Spike decided it was time to throw the bait.

"It's hard to decipher this text," he said, "I believe you mentioned someone who was an expert who might help me. Trevor, I think?"

"Travers," the woman said, "Quentin Travers, he is fluid in ancient Symerian."

"Uhm, could he help me out with this?"  Spike asked. He noted the certain hesitation in the woman's posture. Such an important figure was not supposed to do such things. Yet, Spike was counting that they'd go to far extents in order to mantain appereances.

"Usually, Mr. Travers isn't available for research, being the head librarian in here, but I believe he'll want to help," she said, "he's always interested in translating old manuscripts."

Ms. Grisham left the room and went looking for Travers. Spike was now again looking at his options. He had seen the emergency exit. Should Travers recognize him, then he'd kill the bastard and make a run for it. Again, that would ruin the whole plan so he just hoped for the best.

After some minutes, Ms. Grisham entered. Alone. Spike cursed mentally. This was not part of the plan.

"He's on his way down," the woman said, "he was on a meeting. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Spike smiled. Those were good news. They got engaged in small talk and after ten minutes, Quentin Travers appeared on the door, followed by two more men. Bodyguards, Spike assumed.

"Wait outside, gentlemen." Travers said, as he walked into the room.

"Mr. Travers, this is Mr. Kenneth Kipling," the woman said, signaling Spike. The vampire stood up and extended his hand towards the watcher.

"Good morning, Mr. Travers." Spike said. Travers shook hands  with him and stared for a moment at the man in front of him. Spike measured the danger and a million possibilities ran through his mind.

"Have we met before?" Travers asked. Spike decided to go on the non-violent approach.

"I work at a small library two blocks away," Spike said, "I walk around everyday, probably we have bumped into each other before."

"Ah, yes," Travers said, having his curiosity satisfied, "I was told you needed help with a translation?"

Spike nodded and proceeded to show Travers his manuscript. After some minutes of talking and exchanging ideas, Spike noticed that Travers was seeing through his charade. It was time to unload the big guns.

"Tell me something, Mr. Travers," Spike said, "talking as businessmen insted of librarians, to whom should I  talk  here if I wanted to acquire certain books?"

Travers looked intently at him. Spike kept his cool and once again ran through his mind all the options he had.

"It's highly irregular that someone should ask that," Travers said, "most of our volumes and books are not for sale."

Time to go for everything.

"Would you consider it if there were an interesting amount of money?" Spike asked, hoping to appeal to the watcher's greed. It seemed to work a bit, because Travers' expression changed.

"It certainly would depend on how interesting the amount would be." The watcher answered.

"Let me show you," Spike said, and he took out a printed paper he had folded in one of his pockets, "I'm interested in this volumes." Spike placed the paper on the table and wrote something in it before handing it to Travers. The watcher read the paper and looked back at Spike.

"These are very wierd volumes, " the man said, "and you would be willing to pay this amount you wrote on the bottom of the paper? You have this amount?"

"Presently? No," Spike said, "but I won't be paying this. I represent a certain individual who has a certain liking for this type of books."

"And this individual is willing to pay this for the three books?" Travers asked.

"He or she is willing to pay that amount for each book." Spike said. He hoped that the lie would increase the interest that Travers was showing.

It seemed to work, because Travers leaned towards Ms. Grisham and showed her the paper. The woman's eyes lit up and smiled at Travers.

"I believe that something could be arranged," Travers said, and turned towards Ms. Grisham, "could you locate Mrs. Straub and tell her to come here?"

Ms. Grisham nodded and left the room. Spike once again was forced to engage in small talk with a man he hated. Some time later, Ms. Grisham returned with a very beautiful blonde woman walking next to her. This woman had blond, long hair, which she had let loose that day. She wore glasses, which disguised a bit her blue eyes. The woman was indeed beautiful, but Spike had other things in mind.

"Mr. Kipling, meet Mrs. Anna Straub." Spike stood up and shook hands with the blonde woman, who seemed to be only a bit older than the scoobies.

"A pleasure to meet you." Mrs. Straub said. Spike just smiled.

"The pleasure's all mine." The blonde sat down with them and Ms. Grisham handed her the paper that Spike had given them earlier.

"Mr. Kipling has a certain interest in some of our books," Ms. Grisham said, "and he is willing to offer a certain amount for the volumes he specifies in this paper."

Mrs. Straub read the paper and mimicking Travers' reaction, her eyes lit up when she saw the number written on the bottom of the page.

"You are willing to pay this amount for the three books?" The blonde asked. Spike smiled, but it was Travers who answered the question.

"He has a certain sponsor who is willing to pay that amount for each book separately."

Mrs. Straub was now certainly intrigued by the idea.

"You see, Mr. Kipling," Travers said, "Mrs. Straub is our general accountant, and she handles all the monetary and financial operations inside our library. She is the person to talk to, should you want to acquire one of our volumes."

Spike smiled. He had placed the bait and the prey had bitten. Now he had to pull the line and it the trap would close.

"So, we have reached an understanding?" Spike asked. The three watchers in front of him looked at each other, and smiled and nodded at each other.

"I believe something might be arranged." Travers answered, "may I ask you when could you pay for your purchase?"

"I could give you a part right now and then after recieving the books, my sponsor would finish paying." Spike said.

"So you have a part of this amount on you right now?" Mrs. Straub asked.

"Certainly not," Spike answered, "I wouldn't risk walking around with such quantities in my pocket. I have left it on my apartment, and another part of it on a bank."

"Could such parts be obtained today?" Travers asked. Spike knew that was his cue. He had played his cards correctly and now everything was in place.

"Of course," Spike said, "should I go get it or do you want to come with me?" The question was issued with the hope that none of them trusted him. Should they trust in him, the whole plan would crash and burn.

"If there is not a problem, we'd like to send someone with you." Travers said, "Mrs. Grisham, would you go with him?"

Spike wasn't pleased with that development.

"I'd rather have you or Mrs. Straub come with me," Spike said, "after all, we both need a certain reassurance that the deal will be kept."

Travers looked at him, and seemed to weigh the options on his mind.

"Very well," Travers finally said, "Mrs. Straub and myself will join you, but there will be another person coming with us." He stood up, opened the door and motioned for one of his bodyguards to approach.

"Go and find Mr. Michener," Travers said, "tell him we need an escort."

The bodyguard nodded and walked away. Spike again smiled to himself, everything was working out perfectly. This time he didn't have to wait that much, because the man that Travers required appeared almost immediately. The man was taller than Spike. He wore a black suit over a black shirt. He had short black hair and it was slicked back. The man had the appearance of a hitman instead that of a watcher.

"You sent for me, Mr. Travers?" The man asked. Travers nodded and invited him to walk inside the room.

"Yes, Michener, I called for you," Travers said, "I want you to escort us outside."

"Mr. Michener is our security chief, " Ms. Grisham said, "I know you won't believe that a library should need a security system, but we have very valuable volumes in here."

Spike nodded, and introduced himself to the man.

"I'm Kenneth Kipling," Spike said, "pleased to meet you."

Michener only stared at him, nodded and shook hands with him. Spike was surprised by the strenght that the man had. Had he not been a vampire the man would have hurt him. Spike let go of his hand and looked at the three watchers that were to escort him in his way to get the money.

"Shall we, then?" Spike said. All of them nodded and walked away. Spike looked at his watch, 10:02 am. He had lost quite some time laying the trap. Ms. Grisham said her goodbyes and walked back to her post. Four of them then walked towards the outside. Spike noticed the rainy day and saw that the weather was still playing its part. As soon as the four of them were outside the bulding, he would have already won the game. 

The four of them stepped outside the building and stared at Spike.

"Where to, Mr. Kipling?" Travers asked.

"This way," Spike signaled them to his right, "follow me."

They all began walking, following Spike's lead, who in turn was taking extra care to look and see if anyone was following them. Soon, he noticed that having Michener there had been an advantage. Travers and Mrs. Straub felt safe with their security chief with them.

Spike smiled. They were a few feet away from the final trap. 

"We'll take a left through here," Spike said, "the library is just around the corner."

And it was true. The library was just in sight as soon as the three watchers took the left. But they never reached the library. The first to disappear was Mrs. Straub, having fallen into the fake lid that covered the open sewer. When Travers and Michener rushed to help her, they were knocked out by a swift swat to the back of their heads.

The bystanders in downtown London never noticed when the four figures disappeared into the sewers.

End of Chapter.


	19. Kidnapped

**A/N.- This is chapter Nineteen of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed..**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Kidnapped

Quentin Travers had woken up with a headache many times in his life. After a hard day's work, or after a drunken binge, but never like this. The pain was centered in the base of his skull, and a certain numbness crept by his left side. He slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing in front of him. At first he lost his nerve and thought that he had gone blind, but a slight flicker of light above him dispatched the idea. He was only sitting in the dark, and when he tried to sit up, he noticed that he was tightly tied to a chair. Given his training and experience he tried to tip over the chair in order to break it, thus being able to move his arms more freely. However, whoever had tied him knew his or her business, because the chair didn't move.

"Hello!" Travers shouted, "Is anybody out there?"

His only answer was a soft moan that came from his right side. He immediately turned his head in the direction he had heard the noise.

"Who's there?" He asked. The moan grew into a groan and he noticed that it was a female's voice.

"Who are you?" Travers once again inquired, but his answer didn't come, because the lights went on. The sudden intrusion of brightness hurt his eyes and forced him to close them. A few moments later, his eyes adjusted to the light and saw that Mrs. Straub was tied to a chair to his right, and to his left, was Mr. Michener tied as well. 

"Are you all right, Mrs. Straub?" Travers asked. The blonde woman only nodded and Travers assumed that she too had a severe headache. 

"Do you know who put us in here?" Travers once again asked. Mrs. Straub looked around and noticed that they were in an old, abandoned warehouse. The place was rusty and the only entrances were a door on the upper part, with a small ladder coming all the way down, as well as a larger door, right behind them. She shook her head and looked at Travers.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Travers," the woman answered, "I only recall walking out of our offices and then nothing."

Travers nodded, for he knew as much as the woman sitting next to him. Then he remembered another detail; there were four of them when they walked out of the Council's headquarters. They were one member short.

"Where's Mr. Kipling?" Travers asked. Straub looked around and only saw Michener's limp body on the chair.

"I don't know," Straub said, "I guess he wasn't taken with us."

Travers was about to say something when the door on the upper side of the warehouse flung open. It revealed that outside was already dark and was still raining. A man with a suit appeared and began walking down the stairs. Both Travers and Straub looked up and stared incredously at the man in front of them.

"Kipling!" Travers shouted, as he recognized the man, "Get us out of here!"

'Kipling' simply smiled, and tok out a packet of cigarettes. He took one and lighted it up. He smiled when the nicotine inveded his lungs and slowly blew out the smoke. He remained silent throughout the whole process.

"What is the meaning of this?" Travers asked, "Move your arse and get us out of here!"

Spike simply smiled and walked to one of the corners of the warehouse. There lied a bag, which he lifted and took something out of it. The old black leather duster. He placed it on and dragged a small wooden box, which he placed in front of Travers and sat down on it.

"Good night." He said, and took a drag out of his cigarette. Travers' face contorted into rage and stared at the man he called 'Kipling'.

"I don't know what game you're playing, young man," Travers said, "but you don't know who you're messing with."

"I see you've figured out I was behind this game," Spike said, "congratulations on your great powers of observation."

"You set us a trap."

Travers and Straub looked at Michener, who had already woken up and had stated his idea.

"The moment we walked out of the building was our mistake." The man said. Spike only smiled.

"Kinda slow on the uptake, for a security chief." Spike said. Michener remained calm, but was trying to weaken the ropes that tied him to the chair.

"Don't even try it," Spike said, "there are also handcuffs besides the ropes." The three captives checked and confirmed the vampire's word. There was no way out.

"You don't know who you're messing with," Travers said, "you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

"I think you have it the other way around, Travers," Spike said, "or have you not yet recognized me?"

"We have no clue who you are or what you want," Travers said, "but you'll pay for this."

"Bugger it all," Spike said, and then morphed into his true self, "this ring a bell?"

The three watchers gasped when they saw him, and the shock was soon reflected on their faces.

"How in the bleeding hell did you manage to enter the building?" Michener asked.

"Looks like your defenses aren't as good as you thought." Spike said, and reverted to his human mask. Travers began laughing after the initial shock.

"What's so funny?" Spike asked, throwing away his almost finished cigarette.

"You must be a fledgling with a lot of luck," Travers said, "or an older, wiser vampire sent you on this mission."

"Why do you say that?" Spike asked, amused by the fact that they had not yet recognized him.

"We are watchers," Travers said, "and we live and train to get rid of your disgusting kind." Travers' face lit up with pride and a certain sense of superiority. 

"When the people that work for us find you, you will find out how many ways we have to torture your kind."

"Don't be so sure that they will find you so easily." Spike said. Now it was Michener's turn to interrupt.

"There are warlocks working for us," the man said, "they will find a way to trace us."

"I don't think so." Spike said, chuckling a bit.

"What? Why?" Michener asked.

"For the same reason as of why I managed to get inside your soddin' building." Spike answered.

"You stupid vampire," Michener said, "the moment we walked outside the building we were being traced."

"I know that," Spike said, "and I do have a name."

"I don't care about your stupid name." Travers said.

"Oh, I think you should." Spike said, laughing a bit, "In fact, I'm a little disappointed that you haven't recognized me. I thought that you watchers were all bookish and knew your vampires."

"We don't waste time with fledglings." Michener spat out.

"I'm so much more than a fledgling," Spike said, and looked directly at Travers, "my face doesn't ring a bell?"

The old man looked at him for a moment, but no recognition came with the inspection.

"I don't seem to recall." Travers said. Spike sighed a bit and ruffled his coat.

"This doesn't seem familiar to you?" The vampire asked, "It's been with me for a while now."

The three captives looked at the duster and then at each other.

"Stop playing games, stupid vampire." Michener said.

Spike sighed once more and decided he had have enough.

"All right, I'll tell you my name," Spike said, "my name is William."

"Oh and that clears all the cobwebs," Michener said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "it's Willie the vampire who has kidnapped us."

"You didn't let me finish," Spike said, "that's not my full name."

"Oh please, enlighten us then." Travers said, also infected by Michener's sarcasm. Spike smiled a bit, barely containing the excitement that he was feeling upon seeing their faces when he told them his real name.

"My full name is William the Bloody," the vampire said, "also known as Spike."

The three watchers were once again silent. The news hit them as a cold bucket of water. In front of them was one of the most feared and brutal vampires in recorded history. But then their faces changed and once again a smirk of confidence appeared on them.

"Fear not, my friends," Travers said, "if he really is William the Bloody then we have in front of us a neutered pup." The man smirked and stared at Spike. "So let us go, pup, before someone fixes you even more."

Spike simply stood up, he took out another cigarette out of the package and lit it up. He inhaled deeply and after a few moments exhaled the smoke. He smirked at Travers and walked towards Michener. With a swift motion, Spike punched Michener so hard that the chair flew from its hinges in the floor. The man landed a few feet away, with the metallic chair still tied tightly to him. Travers' eyes grew wide, as well as Straub's. Spike turned around at stared at them with cold, yellow eyes. He smirked a bit and threw away his half finished cigarette.

"How not afraid are you now, you bloody bastard?" Spike asked. 

"W-what do you want?" Travers whimpered. Spike smiled a bit and walked towards Travers. He stopped right in front of the frightened man and leaned so that their eyes met on the same level.

"The thing I've always wanted from my prey." Spike said, and his eyes flickered golden.

"Your blood."

End of Chapter


	20. The Deal

**A/N.- This is chapter Twenty of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed. Hang in there, this chapter relates what Spike really wants from the Council. Maybe not all of you will like this decision or find it unoriginal. Sorry, that's the way I want it to be.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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The Deal.

"You want my blood?" Travers asked, visibly frightened by the sudden revelation of the vampire. And yet, throughout all his fear, he found something intriguing. Why had the vampire taken all the precautions he did if he only wanted to eat them?

"There must be something else to it," Travers said, feeling a little bit relieved, "isn't it, William?"

"Well, yeah," Spike said, "a lot more, and don't call me William."

Spike turned his eyes back to their human color and walked around.

"When I said that I wanted your blood I wasn't lying," Spike said, "but I don't want to drink it. I want to give it a better use."

"Meaning what?" Travers asked.

"Here, read this." Spike said, as he held a paper up to Travers so that the watcher could read it. As soon as Travers finished reading he turned pale and stared at the vampire.

"You must be crazy!" Travers said. Spike chuckled.

"Yeah, a side effect when the chip went out," Spike said, "but that's not the point here."

"You're insane," Travers repeated, "what you want is impossible."

"I don't think so, watcher," Spike growled, "I have done some research, your people can get me what I want, or else they will find you a bit different than how you are right now."

Travers turned pale and then a few shades of green. Straub was staring at him and didn't know what was going on.

"Mr. Travers?" Straub asked, "are you allright?"

Travers was silent. What he had read on the paper was worst than anything he had ever read before. He knew that they were on the hands of this psycopathic vampire. But the price for their lives was even a greater harm to the world.

"Oh, and there's something else, Travers." Spike said. "Read this other paper." Spike took out a folder from inside his coat. He took out one paper and held it in front of Travers.

"I don't want to read it." Travers said.

"Stop being a pain and read the bloody thing." Spike growled. Travers sighed and opened his eyes. He read calmly and then stared back at the vampire.

"You must be joking." The man said.

"Do you see me smiling?" Spike answered. "I want you to sign it in ink and with your blood."

"What makes you thing that I'm going to sign it?" Travers spat at him.

"Well, let me see," Spike said, as he paced around the large room, "I have in my power the three most important men of the council." He paused and looked at Mrs. Straub, "No offense there, lady. And I'm asking for a perfectly reasonable ransom, and more importantly, if you don't sign this in a few hours, you'll be dead."

"You need us," Travers said, "we're of no use to you if we're dead." 

Spike just laughed and stared at Travers.

"Wrong, old chum," Spike said, "I needed the head watcher of the council, their financial advisor and their security chief. I wasn't searching for the individual, I was searching for the title and the influence."

"What do you mean?" Travers asked.

"If you die, they'll simply choose another chief of staff, another financial advisor and a new security chief," Spike answered, "that's why there's a time limit. If the council doesn't give me what I want, then you die and the hunt begins anew."

"They won't give you what you want." Travers stated.

"Ooh, wrong, mate," Spike said, "you realize that when I said you'd die I was referring to another type of death."

Travers and Straub once again stared at each other. They were not sure of what was Spike trying to tell them.

"Picture this," Spike said, "imagine you're the one dealing with this situation. Imagine that you received tthe same letter I made you read a few minutes ago, the first one. But I also wrote something else on that particular letter."

Spike walked towards the other entrance to the warehouse. The larger entrance.

"See this door?" Spike said, pointing to it, "behind it, there are at least four vampires that I captured four nights ago. They haven't fed since then. If my demands aren't met, I'll unleash them on you."

Spike walked back to where the watchers were. 

"But you won't die, not that way," he said, as he sat back on the wooden box, "I won't let them kill you, in fact, you will be turned into one of us."

"What?!" Straub and Travers asked at the same time. Spike laughed at the panic he saw in their eyes.

"Think about it," Spike said, "you'd have enough knowledge of the council and their methods. They can't allow that to happen to you. That's what I wrote on the letter. If they don't give me what I want in ten hours, then they'll have three watchers turned vampires against them. Not a pretty scenario, huh?"

"So, if I were you," Spike continued, "I'd sign the contract I just gave you. That might give you a few more time, until the council delivers what I want."

"You will pay for this." Travers said.

"Don't worry, mate," Spike said, "as soon as they deliver what I want and you sign the contract, then I will be out of your life forever. I promise."

"What good is the promise of a vampire?" Travers asked.

"If you don't sign the contract, then you'll find out how much a vampire is worth," Spike said, "you'll be one of us."

Spike took out two more pages from the folder he had discarded besides the box and once again offered the contract to Travers.

"If you bothered to read, you'll see that this thing also is profitable to you." Spike said, "Now, sign the stupid paper and let's get on with this."

Travers once again seemed to think about the thing he was about to make. He even considered the idea of becoming a vampire. All to avoid giving William the Bloody what he wanted. But finally, his self-preervation and all his life as a watcher convinced him otherwise.

"Will you keep your part of the deal?" Travers asked. Spike stared seriously at him and nodded.

"Of course," Spike said, "as soon as you three sign these papers and I get what I asked then I will inform someone of where you are."

Travers' face scrunched a bit.

"You didn't expect that I'd hang around for a while, huh?" Spike asked. Travers just shook his head and looked down.

"Fine," the watcher said, "untie one hand so I can sign the damn thing."

Spike smiled and took out of his pocket a small, silver key.

"Don't try anything funny, old man," Spike said, as he circled Travers and knelt in order to have the handcuffs removed. Carefully, he got the handcuffs and loosened the knot a bit, but as soon as Travers' right hand was free, Spike snagged it quickly.

"You won't have any freedom, Travers," Spike said, "sorry for the lack of trust but you watchers are filled with surprises."

Travers only growled. He knew that he couldn't do a thing, not with a normal vampire and even less with a master vampire as Spike. Soon, Traver's hands were handuffed in front of him, in order to allow him to sign the contract but not to get free. Spike repeated the maneuver with Mrs. Straub and with the unconscious Michener.

"Now, please sign the three copies," Spike said, "in ink and in blood." The vampire then took out three syringes and took out a bit of blood from each one of them. He couldn't risk having the smell of blood exciting the vampires he held captive. Should they smell blood they'd go on a frenzy and they'd probably kill each other. He needed them alive, or unalive, whatever was the case. Travers cursed all the time, but he signed the contract. All three copies. Straub did the same.  Spike woke Michener not so pleasantly and required some more violence in order to get the security chief to sign the contracts. After placing the blood in fountain pens, the three also signed the contract with their bloods.

"May I ask why you wanted us to sign it in blood?" Straub asked, a bit timidly.

"You see, Mrs. Straub," Spike said, "having a signed contract binds you to fullfill it in London, mostly in England, legally. But a contract signed with blood, along with a slight spell, and the contract binds you forever, even your offspring are tied to it."

Travers' fury was almost palpable. The man didn't expect that Spike would have covered all aspects of his plan.

"Now tell me something, William," Travers said, "what do you expect to get out of this?"

"For me? Nothing," Spike answered, "and don't call me that."

"Fine, Spike," Travers corrected, "but you must be getting something out of this."

Spike growled, and once again his eyes flashed yellow.

"I'm not getting anything out of this," Spike hissed, "don't presume anything and shut the hell up."

Travers seemed to understand the danger he was in, so he decided to keep his ideas to himself.

"Now I have to go," Spike said, "and don't worry, I assume that Michener may be able to free himself and you two in about two hours."

Michener looked surprised. He thought that Spike hadn't noticed what he was doing.

"If you are a security chief, then you must know how to get out of this restraints." Spike said. He took the wooden box in which he had been sitting down and opened it.

"There are crucifixes and holy water in here," Spike said, "you can always break the box and make stakes out of it."

The three watchers looked puzzled. They didn't understand why was Spike giving such things to them.

"The door won't hold the vampires long," Spike said, "so you'd better hope that one: the council hurries and give me what I want; two: that Michener manages to free you quickly, and three: that you three may be able to fight four vampires with these things."

"I don't understand." Mrs. Straub said, "Why are you giving us a chance?"

"I alredy got what I wanted from you," Spike said, as he secured the three signed contracts, "your deaths are of no interest to me."

Spike began walking away and climbed up the stairs. He was about to open the door when Travers shouted at him.

"Even after we're dead the council will chase you!" Travers exclaimed. Spike didn't turn around. He just chuckled a bit and left. The watchers only heard when he locked the door from the outside.

"It was the weirdest thing I've seen a vampire do." Mrs. Straub said. Travers and Michener nodded.

"I know," Travers said, "I never thought I'd sign a contract such as that one."

"Tell me one thing, sir," Michener asked, "what is it that the vampire requested from the council?"

Travers looked down, and his face turned into a mask of despair.

"Something that no vampire should ever have." The old man answered. Straub and Michener didn't like the expression their boss had on his face.

"Sir?" Michener asked. Travers lifted his head and looked at them.

"The price for our lives was a very expensive one, my friends." Travers finally stated. 

"William the Bloody asked for the Ring of Amarra."

End of Chapter.


	21. Revisiting the Father

**A/N.- This is chapter Twenty-one of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed. So, tell me, did any of you expect what Spike would want from the Council? Well, there is another thing in this chapter, I hope you enjoy this.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Revisiting the Father.

Spike knew that the warlocks and wizards under the control of the Council were capable of recovering the Ring of Amarra. He had researched and had a certain ally of the supernatural world which had told him of the possibility of recovering the destroyed gem. Even the stupid people working for the watchers could gather what he wanted. He had delivered certain instructions as to where send the ring. They were to deposit it on the bottom of the Thames. No diver would be able to see where the ring was without certain lighting, and Spike would identify a diver a mile away. Besides, he didn't have to breathe and he could locate the gem on the bottom of the ocean if he wanted to. 

But the ring could wait. It wasn't nearly as important as the papers he had in his posession. Now he only had to give them to someone who could make the contract go valid. Someone who had a knowledge of laws and a certain know-how in the magics department.

He'd have to pay another visit to a certain individual.

He'd take the contracts to Giles.

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It had been a good day. Giles had managed to arrange most of his business and had met a very beautiful girl who had agreed to grab a cup of coffee that night. Not even the rain was bothering him. Now it seemed that his life was taking a turn for the best. He hoped that this woman would be the one for him, he had been so alone lately.

There was a knock on the door, which Giles found strange at this time. He had called his girl friend so it wasn't likely to be her. Besides, he didn't have that many  friends who would pop up in the night for a drink.

Giles took his precautions. He grabbed the small axe he had in the kitchen and asked before opening the door.

"Who is it?" Giles asked loudly.

"You might say a familiar face," Spike said, chuckling because he was no longer familiar to the watcher, "or something like that. Open the door, Rupe."

Giles was surprised, to say the least. Over six months and then the vampire drops by unexpectedly. Giles hurried and opened the door. He was once again surprised by the new look of the vampire.

"Close your mouth, Rupe," Spike said, "am I still invited to your place?"

Giles was still staring, but moved aside and nodded, allowing the vampire to enter the place.

"What happened, Spike?" Giles asked as he closed the door behind him, "your hair, your clothes, the beard?"

"I'll explain soon," Spike answered, smiling, "but first I need you to check this out." The vampire took out the folder and handed it to Giles. The watcher eyed the folder suspiciously but opened it and saw the three signed contracts.

"What is this?" Giles asked. Spike kept smiling.

"Just read them." The vampire answered.

After a few minutes, Giles looked up and stared at Spike. Giles couldn't believe what he held in his hands. Three copies of a contract signed by the three most important people in the council. A contract which was an answer to some of his worries.

"How did you...?" Giles blurted the words.

"I can be very persuasive when I want to." Spike answered, and as usual, took out his cigarettes and proceded to light one.

"Do you mind?" Spike asked Giles, waving the cigarette. Giles shook his head and kept staring at the papers. He really couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I see they're signed in  blood as well," Giles said, "very clever."

"That's why I need you, watcher," Spike said, lighting his cigarette, "or more accurately, I need your Ripper personality."

Giles' head shot up and once again stared at Spike.

"Why?" Was the only thing that came to Giles' mind.

"I know of a spell that can bind the contracts because of the blood," Spike said, "but I already have a lot of magics working on me, so I need someone else to do it."

"Magics on you?" Giles asked.

"Needed 'em to enter the Council's building." Spike said, patting the small container broken in his pocket.

"Oh, I see," Giles said, "it's also a clever idea, Spike. I never believed you to be this..."

"Intelligent?" Spike interrupted, feigning a bit of hurt because of the statement.

"I was going to say 'effective'." Giles said, "I'm impressed, Spike, this is..."

"What?" Spike asked.

"This is the answer to many problems I had," Giles finished, "I never thought that it would come from you."

Spike chuckled and inhaled some more nicotine. He'd never admit it but he was finally relaxing after a year of planning.

"Buffy will be very pleased." Giles suddenly said. At the mention of the slayer's name, Spike's eyes flashed golden and he became very still.

"No." Spike said. Giles turned to see him.

"No, what?" Giles asked him.

"I don't want the slayer to know I did this." Spike said, his eyes still yellow. Giles looked at him strangely. Never before had he seen a vampire with its demonic eyes without morphing completely.

"If I may ask why, Spike?" Giles said, trying to ease the uncomfortable feeling that was creeping in his stomach, "This is an excellent thing you're doing for her."

Spike growled and his eyes flashed golden.

"I'm not doing this for the soddin' slayer," Spike hissed, "I'm doing it for Dawn."

Giles looked surprised. 

"What do you mean?" Giles asked.

"I wasn't thinking about the slayer, watcher," Spike said, as he was trying to calm himself, "this is all about Dawn."

Giles tried to study what the vampire was doing, but failed to do so. Spike began pacing the room and only stared ahed.

"Go on and validate the contracts, watcher." Spike coldly said, his eyes having returned to their human color. Giles hurried up and found everything he needed. In less than fifteen minutes the contracts had been validated and there was no power in the human or the supernatural world which could break them.

"It's done," Giles said, "but how will we keep this papers safe?"

"You will keep one of the contracts," Spike said, "you will send another one to Dawn, and I will have the third one kept by another source."

"Another source?" Giles asked. Spike nodded.

"Yup, the source which helped me in the first place." Spike turned around and smiled.

"Please, come Anyanka." Spike asked loudly. Giles just smiled. Out of nowhere, the vengeance demon appeared amidst a cloud of smoke.

"Sorry I took so long," Anya said, "but you're overseas so it was a slightly larger trip. Hi, Spike, Hi... Giles?" Anya sounded surprised, and ran to hug the watcher. Giles hugged her back and smiled at her.

"Were you in on this?" Giles asked.

"From the beginning," Anya answered, "Spike needed some advice from the demon realm and he asked for my help."

"That's how I got most of the spells and magics I needed to complete my plan." Spike said, "Thanks, Anya."

"You're welcome," Anya said, "did everything work out ok?"

"Yup," Spike said, and handed Anya the papers, "see for yourself."

Anya grabbed the papers, read them and smiled.

"They're already protected, aren't they?" She asked. Both Giles and Spike nodded.

"Very well," she said, "I'll take this to my boss and anyone who dares to break this contract will have to answer to vengeance demons."

"Thank you, Anya." Spike said, and turned to look at Giles, "Now the three contracts are protected and will never be broken or bent."

Spike headed for the door and was about to leave when Giles called out for him.

"Spike, wait," Giles said, "the council won't let this go so easily. They'll come out for you."

"I know," Spike said, "that's why I also ensured my well being. Would you be so kind to explain to him, Anya?"

Anya nodded and waved goodbye at the vampire.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Spike said, and took out a piece of paper which he handed to Giles, "Travers and the other two watchers are locked inside this warehouse. Please send someone to take them out, or in about an hour or so they'll be vampire food."

Giles should have been mad at the vampire for having done such a thing, but he only managed to burst out laughing. Spike and Anya then laughed as well. Spike only waved goodbye and walked into the night. As soon as Giles stopped laughing he called and notified the authorities of the location of the three persons. He then looked at Anya.

"What did he mean when he said that he ensured his well being?" Giles asked. Anya fidgeted a bit, which Giles interpreted as a bad sign.

"Promise you won't be mad?" Anya asked. Giles smiled.

"I won't be mad at you." Giles said. Anya returned the smile.

"Well, he found out that certain artifacts, magical that is, may be restored and recovered," Anya began, "well, I told him that they could be brought back but he didn't care about that and made me do a lot of research and lots of things that..."

"Anya, please," Giles interrupted, "the point is?"

"Uhm, Spike asked for the council to restore and give him the Ring of Amarra or he'd turn the three watchers into vampires." She blurted out. Giles just remained immovable and his expression hardened. A lot of things ran inside his head, but they were soon erased when he remembered the contracts he held in his hands.

"I can't agree with what he has done," Giles said, "but I won't judge him anymore." He smiled at Anya. She seemed happy that he didn't shout or reprimended her. 

"Well, I gotta go back," Anya said, "I have to reopen the store, you know it's early morning there in Sunnydale, right?"

Giles nodded and hugged her.

"Thanks for helping and keeping Spike's secret." Giles said. 

"You have kept his secret as well," Anya said, "it seems that the only one who will never trust him is Buffy. Pity. I have to go, see you, Giles."

"Bye, Anya." Giles said, before Anya dissapeared in another whiff of smoke.

Giles was left alone to ponder the things that had happened. He looked at the two remaining contracts sitting on his table. He'd have to hide really well his own copy and he'd have to take personally the other contract to Buffy. But he had to call her. The news were very good, and even though there were a certain clauses he didn't agree with, the contract was a dream come true. Spike had won his eternal gratitude and his respect. Whatever the vampire had done in the past, the pieces of paper on his table redeemed the vampire. At least in his eyes. And then came the other thing that nagged his mind. Should he tell Buffy about what the vampire had done or should he keep lying to her? He had seen the reaction that Spike had when Giles said her name. He only said her name and the vampire went ballistic. The vampire certainly didn't want to know or hear anything about Buffy. He decided to keep the secret and hope that the two of them, slayer and vampire, could find a common ground to patch things up.

He took the phone and dialed the familiar number. He knew it was still early and probably Buffy would still be preparing herself to go to work. The job she hated. Giles smiled when he remembered that she wouldn't have to ever work in a place like that.

After the fourth ring, Buffy's voice was heard.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hi Buffy, it's Giles."

"Heey, Giles, what's up?"

"Oh, not much, I have some very good news."

Giles heard Buffy's breath change and she got quiet.

"What good news?" Buffy almost whispered the question. Giles immediately noticed that Buffy was hoping for him to tell her something about a certain vampire. But he couldn't. He wouldn't betray Spike's trust. But how could he explain the contracts? He didn't want to take the credit. He had lied to one of the parties, maybe it was time to lie to the other. Besides, he was tired of lying to his 'daughter'.

"It's about Spike."

End of Chapter.


	22. William

**A/N.- This is chapter Twenty-two of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed. This chapter reveals a lot of things, thanks again for being patient and keeping up with the story. By the way, the warehouse was placed really near to Bath, which is where Giles lives. Thus explaining the lapse of time from when the watchers disappeared from London on plain day and woke up on the night. On with the story.**

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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William.

"Spike?" Buffy asked, barely containing the shock she was feeling, "what about him?"

Giles sighed, time to get the cat out of the bag.

"Yes, Buffy, I saw him tonight." Giles said. Once again, Buffy's breath changed.

"Did he do anything to you?" Buffy asked, being possesed by the slayer in her. Giles didn't like the way the question came. Buffy was really a stubborn girl.

"No, Buffy," Giles answered, "he didn't do anything to me. But listen to me, Buffy, I'm going to tell you some things and you have to promise to hear me out and won't hang up on me and won't  get mad, ok?"

Buffy huffed a bit.

"Ok, what is it?" She said.

"Promise me first." Giles said. He needed her calm and at least controlled enough to hear what he was about to tell her.

"All right, Giles, I promise." She said.

"Very well," Giles said, and took a deep breath, "Buffy, I have known where Spike was for the last year."

"What?!" Buffy screamed at the phone.

"You promised, Buffy," Giles blurted a bit too harsh, "you need to hear this and after I'm finished you can scream all you want!"

Buffy was  going past angry to frustrated to feeling betrayed, but she owed the man respect and willed herself to calm down.

"Ok, continue." Buffy growled. Giles took off his glasses and placed them away. He closed his eyes and continued his story.

"About a few weekks or so after he left Sunnydale I found him outside my house," Giles said, "he explained about his chip and he also wanted to know some other things."

"What other things?" Buffy once again interrupted.

"Please, Buffy, let me talk," Giles said, "I will explain everything."

"Go on, sorry." Buffy said, barely controlling herself.

"He wanted to know all I knew about the Council of Watchers," Giles continued, and heard once again the change of breathing of Buffy, "he came every night to my house for some months, learning all I had to say about the council." 

On the other side of the ocean, Buffy was feeling her rage once again boil to the surface.  Giles had been lying to her openly about Spike's whereabouts. She even dared to let slip a bit that she missed the vampire and Giles was lying to her the whole time. She was going to have a severe discussion when Giles ended his story.

"After those days, Spike then disappeared," Giles said, "and today, after seven or six months without knowing from him, he showed up on my doorstep again."

Buffy once again focused on the conversation, and she was debating about waiting for Giles' next visit or if she should herself go to England.

"What did he want?" Buffy asked. Giles didn't know how to explain what the vampire had delivered. 

"He brought some papers for me to see." Giles said, there was no turning around so he decided to go through with the truth.

"Buffy, Spike made the Council sign a contract," Giles said, "a very important contract."

"Oh, I bet he did it to protect his ass, didn't he?" Buffy blurted out.

"Buffy, shut up and listen." Giles said, holding on to his last vestiges of patience. "The contract doesn't grant anything to him, in fact, it will place him in great danger."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked,  now having her curiosity taking over.

"Buffy, listen well," Giles said, "Spike made Quentin Travers sign a contract that grants you a monthly salary, being retrospective to all the years you worked for them."

Buffy now was shocked. Those were the last words she ever expected to hear. She stood quiet, her mind racing through the things that she had just heard,

"What?" She whispered.

"That is not all," Giles continued, "the contract also states that no one from the council will ever try to reach you again, but you may reach any of them for any information you might require. It, uhm, the contract also reinstates me as a watcher, with salary and all. But it makes me more of an outside agent, I won't have to answer to them if I don't want to."

"Oh." Buffy couldn't really take much of it all. She was now feeling a bit dizzy and her knees were buckling under her.

"There's more," Giles said, still not believing all that Spike had covered, "the contract also protects your friends. Willow, Tara, Anya, Dawn, myself, and even Xander. No one from the council may reach them or harm them in any way."

Buffy's breath became even more irregular. The contract also protected her friends. She slumped to the ground barely holding on to the phone.

"And the final clause," Giles said, "states that the concil will select another slayer, so that she will help you in Sunnydale, making you her teacher instead of the fighter. You will no longer be alone fighting there."

Buffy now heard the words as if she were underwater. She was having trouble breathing and her sight was becoming misty.

"I'm not sure how they'll manage that," Giles said, "apparently, Spike didn't consider Faith's safety with this clause. The council will probably kill Faith for a new slayer to come forth."

The other side of the line was now mostly silent, and Giles wondered if Buffy was still listening.

"Buffy?" Giles asked, "Are you there?"

Buffy nodded, not realizing that Giles couldn't see her.

"Buffy?" Giles once again asked.

"Yes..." Buffy managed to answer.

"You understand everything that this contract implies?" Giles asked, he was still thrilled by it. It guaranteed that Buffy might lead a semi-normal life, not having the death threat hanging from her neck.

"Buffy?" Giles asked when Buffy didn't answer right away, "are you really grasping what this contract means?"

Buffy was now coming with the terms of what the contract meant. That piece of paper was giving her what she had wanted for so long. A shot at a regular life. She'd have money, and she'd manage to be a better parent to Dawn. Her friends would not be bothered by the annoying Council, and now she was going to get another slayer to help her. A lot of problems seemed to disappear with the existence of that paper. But there still was one other small matter.

Spike.

"Where's Spike, Giles?" Buffy asked. Giles knew that the question would pop up sooner or later.

"I don't know, Buffy." Giles answered.

"Don't lie to me anymore, Giles," Buffy stated, "I need to at least talk to him."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Giles said.

"What do you mean with that?" Buffy almost shouted.

"Buffy, Spike didn't want me to tell you what he has done," Giles said, "it's hard for me to tell you this, but he went feral as soon as I mentioned your name."

"What?" Buffy whispered. She remembered the rare vampire that Spike had become when he last talked to her. She hoped that after all this time, he'd want to at least talk to her.

"He was very insistent that I shouldn't tell you what he had done." Giles said. He knew that it would hurt Buffy, but she needed to be aware of how things really were.

"Why?" Buffy once again whispered.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you, Buffy," Spike said, "but he's really against the thought of seeing or knowing anything about you."

Buffy felt as if a car ran over her. She felt once again just like the time she had called Giles when she found her dead mother on the couch. The idea of Spike not wanting to have anything to do with her shouldn't have hurt her. After all, it was what she had asked him to do. So why was she feeling like this?

"Listen Buffy," Giles said, "I didn't call to distress you, I wanted to tell you about the good news. Tomorrow morning I'll leave for London in order to present the contract to the Council attorneys. I'll make effective this contract the first thing tomorrow morning."

Giles kept talking but the girl on the other line was not listening anymore. She was now remembering all the things she had done to the vampire. For the first time, she was measuring what it must have felt for Spike. The vampire who behaved like an animal for most of his life had been trying to be a man with her. She had shut him out and treated him like something you find on the sole of your shoe. Spike had tried to be with her what he had been a long time ago. And she used him and beated him to the ground.

Buffy just mumbled a goodbye on the line and hung the phone. The same thought replaying itself on her mind. An idea that was now present on her mind. Over and over again.

Spike was trying to be William for her.

End of Chapter.


	23. Spike

**A/N.- This is chapter Twenty-three of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed. This is the final chapter of this odyssey. I have covered all that I wanted to write about and I'm thankful that all of you read this adventure and I hope that you enjoyed it. On with it. **

**Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.**

**Feedback.- As you wish.**

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Spike.

The world seemed different. 

He was still dripping wet and didn't want to put on his coat because he knew that the water would ruin the leather. His coat was the only thing besides the photograph that he wanted to hold on. If he was really careful, the coat would still be on top shape for fifty years or so. He looked at his left hand and admired the ring placed in his middle finger. The thing was precisely as he remembered it. The council wizards had really done it. He had suspected that they wouldn't take the risk of giving the gem to a vampire, but after weighing what Travers 'turned-vampire' could to to them, they decided that it was a better chance to give the vampire a chance to walk in the sun.

They probably thought that a slayer had been able to remove it from his hand once, so another could do it in a few years. Spike didn't care about slayers anymore. If they wouldn't look for him, he'd stay clear of their paths. He had learnt that the only good slayer was a dead slayer.

His unlife would have been consderably simpler if he had killed every slayer he saw. He missed a normal existence for a vampire. He shouldn't have the thoughts he had running through his mind at the moment. He shouldn't have to worry for how a 16 year old girl would pay her school. Or how and who would teach her how to drive. He shouldn't have worried about that idiot boy Harris after all. But if one of the children was hurt, then Dawn would suffer. And he had gone through with his little adventure because of that 16 year old. He repayed her with the same coin. She always treated him nicely so he would ensure her well being. 

He knew that sooner or later the slayer would come looking for him. That's why he had asked for the Ring of Amarra. It's hard to move around in the world if you can only do so by night. 

Speaking of which, it was almost dawn. He'd prove if the ring in his hand was the real deal. He really didn't care that much about the veracity of the ring. He had done what he wanted to do and the gem in his hand was actually a bonus. He had managed to survive over a century without such ring and he'd manage to do it for the rest of his life.

The sun came up and it touched his hand. Spike couldn't repress a smile when he felt the heat but his hand didn't ignite. Soon, the sun covered all his figure and he was once again staring at a beautiful day. 

It'd been so long since he had seen the sun come up. It was a great sight. His mind came with many adjectives to describe it but soon he shook them off his head.

It wasn't time to get all philosophical but he once again dealt with the thing that bothered him always. William was not a good man to be. Whenever he tried to be William he had been hurt in a way or the other. The only girl who liked him as William was Joyce, and well, she was dead. Dawn liked him as Spike, not as the foolish poet. 

His human identity had been weak and it had always gotten him in trouble. It wasn't until he began behaving as the stupid poet when the slayer treated him the worst. 

So this was it. The time to let go forever that part of him. He'd never be William again. Ever. He swore it upon himself and stared ahead. The brain damage altered his memory and if he didn't remind himself of certain things then he'd slowly forget them.

That was it. If he stopped thinking and feeling as stupid William then that part of him would disappear. Hopefully, all memories of the slayer would banish as well. 

The sun soon fulfilled its purpose and Spike was dry. He slowly stood up and took his duster. He had shed his three piece suit and was once again dressed as he always had been. He mantained his hair as it was, as well as his beard. He didn't want to go back to his old style. That vampire was dead and buried.

But now there was in front of him a whole new world. He could walk in the sun and he had all the time in the world. He was still a vampire but he didn't miss the murder and mayhem. He did miss the hunt, however, and the thrill that came with it. 

So many choices and so much time.

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Dawn was really happy when Buffy told her the story. She couldn't believe that Spike had done such things and she wanted to know about him. However, her mood went sour when Buffy told her about Spike not wanting to know about her.

"Why would he not want to see you?" Dawn asked. When Buffy looked away Dawn realized that there was a lot that she didn't know.

"Buffy, there are things that you haven't told me, right?" She asked. Her elder sister just nodded and asked Dawn to sit down next to her on the couch.

"I guess that you deserve to know the whole thruth, Dawn," Buffy said, "about the real reasons why Spike left."

An hour and a half later, a crying slayer was alone on the house. Dawn had reacted exactly as Buffy expected, and ran off after insulting Buffy. 

Curiously, Buffy agreed with Dawn on everything that the girl had told her. Buffy wanted to make ammends, but it was too late. 

The vampire was now really gone from her life, and she finally understood that it had been her doing.

Spike would never return.

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The bus was packed, but the vampire didn't care. He was riding on an unknown adventure. He had hopped on the first bus that he had seen. He had only a few pounds on his pocket and had only the clothes he had on him. 

But he had all  the world ahead of him. He really didn't need much. He was free now in more ways than one. No one knew where he was and now no one would fathom that he was a vampire. The planet was now his to roam and he had no care in the world.

He patted the pocket of his duster. He had everything there he needed. He took out the picture and once again smiled at it.

An old lady that was sitting next to him smiled at him.

"Pretty girls," she said, pointing at the picture, "family?"

Spike smiled and nodded.

"Yeah," he answered, "the only one I'll ever have."

The End.

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So that's it. This is the end of the story. Please tell me what you thought of it. 

Thanks to all who read this thing and wrote reviews. It gives me a certain push towards writing more of my crazy ideas.

So, the final question. Do any of you out there want a sequel?

Let me know about it.


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